


Fists of kindness

by itzloonatic



Category: ITZY (Band)
Genre: Action, F/F, Romance, Ryujin is a badass, Ryujin is also kind, jinlia, ryujisu - Freeform, ryulia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24081616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzloonatic/pseuds/itzloonatic
Summary: Ryujin only wanted to protect her sister, to give her the stable life their parents couldn't give them. It wasn't in her plans to get deeply involved in her boss' business. Neither did she intend to fall for one of her targets.---“Her brother disappeared and we don’t know where he is, so we’re sending a warning through his sister. She’s still a student, so, try not to leave any visible marks. We don’t want people to go ask her what happened,” he explained, and with each word, Ryujin clenched more and more her fists, feeling her nails digging into her skin.He finally opened the file, and when Ryujin saw a few photos of her, she lost any strength she had.“I think you might remember her from a few nights ago. Her name,” he said with a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair, “is Choi Jisu.”
Relationships: Choi Jisu | Lia/Shin Ryujin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 84





	1. Her name is Choi Jisu

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why I had such an idea for a Ryulia fic, I guess that after seeing pics of Ryujin's bulky arms I just wanted a story where she beat people up LMAO hope everyone likes it! 
> 
> It contains some violence, but not too gory
> 
> IN THE MEANWHILE, 2JIN VAMPIRE AU IN THE WORKS! 

It was almost half past six in the morning when Ryujin arrived home. She stepped inside the quietness of the house and let a small smile creep on her lips as she approached her cats who slept on the couch, snuggling against each other. 

“Hey there, Byulie, Dallie.” She kissed the top of their heads and gently stroked the fur behind their ears as to not wake them up, then went straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast before Yuna woke up. 

Ryujin tried to push everything to the back of her mind and pay attention to the knife on her hand as she cut the green onions, but her lip had to start stinging again. Was it bleeding? Ryujin touched it with the back of her hand, but no blood came out. 

“Good morning!” Yuna’s voice boomed in the kitchen, making Ryujin flinch and almost drop the knife to the floor as she turned to her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle--- Ryujin, what happened?!” 

Yuna ran to her, the frown creasing her features more and more as she stared at Ryujin’s face. 

“Nothing.” Ryujin looked down again, but Yuna held on her chin and forced her to meet her eyes. 

“Nothing?! Are you serious? Did you clean it already?” 

“Yes, I did. Please don’t worry and sit while I finish breakfast.” 

Yuna huffed, but obeyed. “Was it the loan sharks?” 

Ryujin sighed, topping the noodles with the chopped green onions and setting the bowl in front of Yuna. She grabbed her own bowl and sat in front of her. “No. There was a creep harassing a girl at the club and I gave him what he deserved.” 

A shiver ran down her spine as the image popped up in her mind again. The terror in the girl’s beautiful face as he grabbed on her arms... she shook her head and filled her mouth with food. 

“I’m sorry,” Yuna mumbled, so low Ryujin thought she heard it wrong. 

“Why?” 

“You’re only going through that because of me.” 

“Stop it, already. That’s not true, and I’ve told you that enough times.” 

They ate in silence after that, while Ryujin still tried to push back the images and voices in her head. 

“I went to the convenience store down the block the other day and they told me they would let me work there after school. I could make some spare change to help out!” 

“No.” 

“But it would be only two or three hours, and it’s safe and close to home-” 

“You are not working, Yuna!” Ryujin shouted, banging a fist on the table. 

“But I’m tired of not doing anything to help! It pains me to see you like this, you already dropped out of school, now you got into a fight because of that job!” 

“I did what I had to do, I don’t care about school and I don’t care if I get hurt.” 

“What about me, and what I care about?” 

Ryujin met her teary eyes. “You should care about school and your team.” 

“Am I not allowed to care for you, then?” 

“I know you do, but I have to do this. I’m willingly making the sacrifice so you can have a normal life. I’m doing this so you don’t have to, and if you end up working as well, you’ll make sacrifices too, and that’s exactly what I don’t want.” 

“So I’ll keep living said normal life, going to school and floorball practice, while you go through this by yourself?” 

“Yes, exactly. And no more discussion about this.” 

Yuna stood up and tried to storm off the door, but Ryujin was faster, standing in between. “You can be mad at me all you want, but you’re not going to school by yourself.” 

“You’re hurt, and I’m not a kid anymore, I’m not afraid of-” 

“ENOUGH, YUNA!” 

Ryujin’s sharp and quick exhales were the only sound in the room for the following seconds. 

“Did something else happen? You’re not normally _this_ stressed out,” Yuna asked, her hand grasping on Ryujin’s, and she felt her body relax the same second. 

“It was just a rough night.” 

Yuna pulled her into a hug, and Ryujin buried her face on her sister’s neck. Somewhere she always felt safe and like no one could and would ever hurt them. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you,” Ryujin said. 

“I’m sorry too, I know you’re working hard for the both of us.” 

“If you really want to help, then work your absolute hardest at school and floorball, yes?” 

Yuna nodded against her shoulder and pulled away. 

Ryujin gave a small smile. “Now let’s go, I don’t want you to be late.” 

\--- 

“Ryujin.” 

She turned from the bar, served the two vodkas to the men at the counter and approached the source of the call. 

“Yes, boss Park?” 

“Follow me inside for a bit, will you?” He smiled at her. 

She followed him to the back, to his office, where he had called her to just the night before. 

“Guess what?” he asked, with an unsettling smirk. 

“W-What?” 

“You’re gonna have your first job tonight! I mean, right now.” 

Ryujin gulped, her gut twisting. “N-Now? But...” 

“Do not worry, he’s in our special room waiting for you.” 

No. It didn’t feel true yet, and she had to do it... _right now?!_

“Take off your apron, put this on your face and wear this hoodie.” Boss Park handed her what seemed like a mask and a black, oversized hoodie. Ryujin grabbed it with a trembling hand, realizing the mask was a balaclava. “Neither I or you want him to recognize or memorize your face.” 

Ryujin stared at the black mask on her hands, with only two holes for the eyes and one for the mouth. 

“Don’t be afraid, you’ll be safe.” 

She was scared, but it was not about her own safety. She never wanted this, she never asked for this- 

“He’s like your father.” 

Ryujin raised her head the same second, her eyes huge. “Like my father?” 

“Got himself and his family in debts for alcohol and gambling.” 

A sudden rage pulsed in every vein of her body, overshadowing any previous fear or worry. She clenched her jaw, taking off the apron draping over her front and nodded at him. 

“Just follow the corridor, go down the stairs at the end, and it’s the first door at your left. You know what to do,” he said, and Ryujin was about to leave the room when he spoke again. “You’ll receive the money by the end of your shift tonight.” 

She nodded without looking back and left the room, following the way he told her. Before entering the room, she threw her shoulder length black hair back and flung the mask over her head, adjusting it so she could breathe and see properly, and put on her hoodie. 

She took one, two, three deep breaths, and with each one, her fists balled harder with the thoughts of her father. That was the only way she was ever going to bring herself to do it. 

The door flew open, and in the center of the damp, dimly lit and otherwise empty cellar, there was a chair. Tied to it was a man with a paper bag flung over his head. 

“H-Help me!” he cried as he heard the sound of the door, thrashing his body on the chair he was sitting on with his feet and hands tied. 

Ryujin froze for a second with the sight, but even faster she remembered what he did. She took a step forward, then another, and with it, she removed the bag hiding his face, throwing it aside. A middle-aged man, looking pathetic with pleading eyes at her. 

“Please, don’t hurt-” 

Ryujin swung her fist into his face so fast he couldn’t even finish his sentence. He yelped, and was about to open his mouth, but Ryujin punched him again, a good, stronger punch that even made him fall to his side with the chair tied to him. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and brought him up, not knowing if she should pity him for everything that was still to happen to him, or just pure disgust. 

“You piece of shit,” Ryujin spat, her voice even deeper than normal. “What made you think you could do what you did to your family?” 

“I-I was trying to help, I wanted to earn lots of money for them!” 

“Shut up!” Another punch to the face. “You disgust me. Men like you only think about themselves. Not even for a second you put your family, your children first. They will suffer because of you, and now, you’ll suffer because of me.” 

When Ryujin’s boss told her about this new job, she couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to. She never wanted to beat people up for a living. All she wanted was to have enough money for her and Yuna to survive. 

But maybe it wasn’t so bad, if she could give a piece of hell to the ones who deserved it. 

\--- 

The TV played in the background as they had breakfast. Ryujin turned her head when the news anchor announced there had been a car accident caused by illegal street races not far from where they lived, and there had been a casualty.

“People throwing their lives away like this...” Ryujin gripped on her mug, making her best in keeping her breathing steady and ignoring the images her brain wanted to show her. “Ungrateful asses.” 

Yuna looked at her with worry in her eyes, but she didn’t have time to say anything because the bell rang, followed by three strong knocks on the door. Yuna stopped munching on her toast and widened her eyes at Ryujin. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. You don’t even leave the table, you hear me?” Ryujin whispered to her. 

Yuna nodded, and Ryujin went to open the door. 

“Good morning!” the three men Ryujin hated the most after her father smiled at her. The one in the middle, their spokesman, irked an eyebrow at her. “Nice cut you have there. Little girl got herself in problems?” 

“It’s none of your business. What do you want?” 

“After all this time, you still ask?” 

“It was supposed to be next week.” 

“Well, life is unpredictable, and we need the monthly payment now, so, hurry up, we don’t have all day.” His voice changed, not the previous mocking tone anymore. 

Ryujin grasped on the door knob in an attempt to not sink a fist on his face instead. “Give me a minute.” 

She closed the door and rushed upstairs, ignoring Yuna’s eyes on her. She grabbed the envelope at the back of her nightstand drawer and went downstairs again. 

“Here.” Ryujin shoved the envelop into the guy’s hands. “Now leave.” 

“After we count.” He smirked, taking the bills out. 

Ryujin sighed, leaning on the door frame. 

“Alright, it’s all good. See you next month, then. And say hi to your sister!” He stuffed the envelope in his pocket and waved at her as he left, followed by the other two. 

Ryujin forced a smile and closed the door, taking in a deep breath and returning to the kitchen. 

“You done?” Ryujin asked, stuffing the rest of her toast in her mouth. 

“Yes. Was it them?” 

“Yes, but don’t worry, it’s all good.” 

“But they were supposed to come next week.” 

“That’s what I told them, but it’s okay, really.” 

“But you haven’t received your salary yet, right?” 

“No, but boss Park gave me a bonus the other day, for the good work.” 

Yuna pouted, dropping her head. 

“What is it?” 

“You should have used that bonus to treat yourself with something good, not to give it all to them!” 

Ryujin smiled, patting her head. “When I receive my salary, I promise I’ll treat myself with my favorite mocha bread. And some for you, of course.” 

“No, there’s no need! Get yourself two, then.” 

“No, one for me, one for you, and that’s final. Now, go get your things. Don’t forget your equipment for your practice today.” 

Yuna ended up smiling as well and complied without fighting back. 

Yes, Ryujin hated to lie, especially to her sister. But it was true that the money she got from the _added responsibilities_ at her job had already started to show its benefits. 

\--- 

The night of work was almost over. Ryujin stretched her arms up, cracked her neck to release tension, then cracked her knuckles, and as she did so, she noticed how they were starting to get bruised. She had to take care of it, or else Yuna would notice, and that was the last thing she wanted. 

“Ryujin,” Sooyoung, her coworker, called her. “Boss Park wanted to talk to you.” 

“Oh, thank you.” 

A job, at that hour? 

Ryujin made her way to boss Park’s office at the back and knocked, stepping inside after the affirmative answer. 

“Oh, Ryujin, take a seat.” 

She complied without a question. 

“You probably know why I called you, right?” 

“A job?” 

“Exactly! But this one is different, and I’ll need you to listen to me carefully.” 

Ryujin gulped. 

“We’re not bringing anyone here. Instead, I’m sending you after this person.” 

“Wha-what does that mean?” 

Boss Park fetched a folder from a drawer and placed it in front of Ryujin, who stared at it, but didn’t dare touch it. 

“Inside you have all the information you need about her. We thought you would be perfect for the job since you’re a girl, and I didn’t want to send a guy to hit a girl, you know? Even I have some principles.” 

Ryujin widened her eyes, her jaw clenching hard. 

“Her brother disappeared and we don’t know where he is, so we’re sending a warning through his sister. She’s still a student, so, try not to leave any visible marks. We don’t want people to go ask her what happened,” he explained, and with each word, Ryujin clenched more and more her fists, feeling her nails digging into her skin. 

He finally opened the file, and when Ryujin saw a few photos of her, she lost any strength she had. 

“I think you might remember her from a few nights ago. Her name,” he said with a chuckle as he leaned back in his chair, “is Choi Jisu.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone liked the first chapter! Yes, there are a lot of mysteries, but don't worry, everything will be explained in due time :))


	2. The person Ryujin was

Ryujin had been waiting for almost half an hour. She only hoped no one had noticed her weird behavior. Sitting on a bench for that long was weird... right? 

She couldn’t stop shaking and looking around every five seconds. Going over the plan in her mind time and time again, she kept convincing herself she knew exactly what was to be done. And she _had_ to calm down. But how could she, when she was about to follow someone inside their house? And it had to be--- 

There she was. Ryujin gulped, following the girl with her eyes. She stood up and swung her hoodie over her head. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she crossed the street with her head low, peeking to make sure she hadn’t stepped inside yet. Ryujin looked around, to make sure no one was around, and quickened her pace behind the girl. She went past the gate and Ryujin hid behind the wall, quickly hiding her face in her mask, and just as she was about to step inside her house, Ryujin took a run for it. 

It was all too fast, but when Ryujin came to herself, she was already inside, gripping on Jisu’s collar and shoving her against the door with a hand over her mouth. 

Ryujin couldn’t come to say a word, when the look of terror in Jisu’s eyes was enough for her to lose some of the strength on her grip. But then Yuna popped up on her mind, and Ryujin remembered why she was doing it, and that she _absolutely_ had to do this- 

Ryujin growled in pain when Jisu sunk her teeth onto her hand, and even though she was wearing gloves, she could feel the sharp pain on her skin. She tried to retreat her hand, but now something hit the side of her head, making her stumble back. Jisu jumped on her, throwing her dizzy body to the ground. Her back hit the floor with a loud and painful thud, and Jisu’s knees pressed down on her arms, sending another wave of pain on her body and making Ryujin yell in pain. 

The mask on her face flew over her head, and their eyes met. 

“R-Ryujin?” 

“You’re hurting me,” Ryujin groaned. 

“What are you even doing?” 

“I don’t wanna hurt you, just get off of me!” 

Jisu hesitated, but stood up. Ryujin breathed in relief, massaging her own arms. 

“Just... what in the world are you doing?” Jisu asked, staring down at Ryujin, who massage the side of her head now. 

“This wasn’t supposed to turn out like this...” Ryujin stood up, and Jisu took a step back. “Listen up, you brother is on the run and they want to find him. I was just sent here as a warning.” 

Jisu widened her eyes. “What do you know about my brother?” 

“What I just told you.” 

“Don’t lie to me!” Jisu raised her fist, but Ryujin was fast to hold on her wrist. 

“I’m telling the truth.” 

“Who’s them and what do they want with my brother? What did he do?!” Jisu thrashed, trying to set herself free. 

“I don’t know!” Ryujin pushed Jisu against the door again. “I don’t know a thing! You’re lucky I was the one sent here, or else you would be on the ground full of bruises by now.” 

Jisu stopped fighting back. “Why are you doing this?” 

“I told you already, I was sent as a warning to your brother.” 

“I got that, but why would _you_ be sent _?”_

“Because... Because it’s part of my job.” 

“Your job is to beat innocent people up?” 

Ryujin let go of Jisu’s wrist and clenched her jaw. “Not innocent, for most of the part.” 

“Why?” 

“You wouldn’t understand.” 

“Just tell me then, explain it to me.” 

“Why do you even care?” 

“Because this is not like you.” 

Ryujin scoffed. “You don’t even know me.” 

“You saved me from an abuser the other night.” Jisu stared at Ryujin’s lips, and a finger traced over the cut by the corner of her lips. “You got hurt because of me, to protect someone you didn’t even know, and now you were sent here to beat me up, yet the first thing you said was that you wouldn’t hurt me, and you didn’t. I think that already says a lot about you, and for whatever reason you’re doing this, it’s because you really don’t have any other choice.” 

In fact, she should even be _mad_ at Jisu. 

But all Ryujin could do was hide her face in her hands and cry. 

Pathetic, Ryujin thought. To be crying in front of someone she barely knew, someone she was supposed to be beating up that same moment, but that someone touched her every wound in a way no one had. 

“Can you explain it to me?” Jisu’s voice was sweet, too sweet for Ryujin to deserve it. “Let’s sit.” 

Jisu held on her arms, her touch also too soft for Ryujin to deserve, and guided her inside, towards the couch. 

“There’s no one home. We’re alone, and you can trust me.” 

“Why?” 

“Why would I want to hurt you?” 

“Because I was going to.” 

“But did you want to?” 

“No.” 

“I know you don’t, and I don’t either.” 

Ryujin sniffed. “Look, just pretend I came here and actually beat you up, and try to reach your brother about this, and you’ll stay out of trouble, okay? I-I need to go.” 

She tried to stand up, but Jisu held on her wrist and yanked her down. “No, you will not leave until you tell me what you know.” 

“I swear, I don’t know a thing about what happened to your brother. I don’t even know his name.” 

“I’m talking about what you got yourself into and why you’re doing this. This involves my brother now as well, so it involves me. I’m worried sick about him. He appeared home a few days ago all beaten up, telling me he had to leave. I can’t reach him, and I need to do something before my parents find out.” 

“Your parents aren’t around?” 

“They’re in Canada. I was living here with my brother so we could finish our studies.” 

She was just trying to help her brother. 

“I’m doing this for my little sister,” Ryujin says, clenching her fists. “My father got himself in debts from gambling and ran away, like the motherfucking rat he is. Left me and Yuna alone with his debts to pay.” 

Jisu gasped. 

“I dropped out of school and found the job at the bar, but... that night, when I protected you...” 

****** 

_Ryujin_ _wiped the blood on her lip with the back of her trembling hand, still struggling to come down from the adrenaline high she’d gotten on from beating up the disgusting prick that got far too close to that young girl. Remembering the terror in the girl’s face and the look of relief as she thanked her time and time again made it all worth it. She would do everything all over again if she had to._

_Splashing water on her face, she took a deep breath as she looked in the mirror one last time and prepared to exit the restroom._

_“_ _Ryujin_ _.” A deep, male voice called just as she left, startling her._

_“Boss Park,” she answered, suddenly remembering that she was likely to get in trouble. “I’m sorry for causing a scene.”_

_“No, don’t apologize. He deserved it.” He leaned against the wall with a smile and put a hand on her shoulder. “You did what you had to do. I was actually very impressed.”_

_“Oh.”_ _Ryujin_ _sighed in relief. “Yeah, I guess I had to do it. To set an example.”_

_“Listen, I would like to give you a word. Care to follow me?”_

_Ryujin_ _frowned, but nodded and did as she was told. When they reached his office in the back of the club, he opened the door, motioned her to enter, then closed the door behind him._

_The boss sat on his chair, then waved his hand at_ _Ryujin_ _, signaling her to have a seat herself on the opposite side of the desk._

_“I have to say,” he started, “I never imagined a girl your size would have the strength to leave a guy that huge crying and begging for his mommy.”_

_Ryujin_ _said nothing, her legs restless as she had absolutely no clue where this was going. Being called to your boss’ office was a nerve-wracking ordeal by itself, but the way he started with praising her brawling skills left her too puzzled._

_“What I saw you do today really_ _caught_ _my attention.” He rested his elbows on the desk and smiled. “So, I would like to offer you a promotion.”_

_“What? For real?”_ _Ryujin_ _widened her eyes, half of her excited about the extra money and recognition, the other half wondering why her boss had thought to promote her for beating a guy up at his club._

_“For real. But this is not your typical promotion. Let’s say you’re to have a special position in my... side business.”_

_The hint of a hopeful smile in_ _Ryujin’s_ _face turned into a frown instantly._

_“What do you mean? Side business?”_

_“Say, when you came here begging for me to give you a job even when you’re underage, you told me the story of your father. How he drowned in debt, then disappeared and left you and your sister alone to handle it, so you really needed the money to survive.”_

_Ryujin_ _reluctantly nodded, growing more nervous by the second but refusing to show it._

_“I empathized a lot with you, so I gave you the job. Because my_ side business _is about... Teaching a lesson to people like that. Cowards who think they can get away with not paying what they owe to the people who lend them the money, for example. We provide such a service for the people who want to collect said debt, and we_ encourage _the bastards to find a way to make amends.”_

_She felt as if ice ran through her veins instead of blood as she put the pieces together._

_“What I mean is, in addition to your bartending duties, I will occasionally contact you to perform these tasks. Your identity will be well protected, and you will be very well compensated for them, of course.” He grinned mischievously. “It’s a pretty nice complement to your salary, no? I’m sure it would be of great use to you and your sister.”_

_“Y-you...”_ _Ryujin_ _tried to relearn how to move her lips, as her chin had been dropped for longer than she’d noticed and froze in that position. “You want me to go beat up indebted idiots for you?”_

_“You could put it that way,” he said, scarily relaxed._

_Her mind immediately conjured the image of_ _Yuna_ _. As much as_ _Ryujin_ _had a thirst to seek revenge for what her father and others like him did to their families, what would_ _Yuna_ _think of her if she knew she’d become involved in even more illegal stuff? How disappointed she would be. And suddenly, the answer was more than clear._

_“I can’t do it, boss. Thank you for your offer, but the salary you pay me to be here is more than enough to support us. If you’ll excuse me, I will resume my shift.” She hastily rose from her chair, bowed ninety degrees, and spun on her heel to leave._

_“_ _Ryujin_ _.” He called, his voice losing that unsettling cheerful tone, turning grave and serious. “Not so fast.”_

_As she once more turned to face him, she saw his expression had darkened along with his voice._

_“I trusted you with this secret of mine. About my side activities. Is that really how you intend to repay the trust I’ve put in you? The help I’ve offered you?”_

_Ryujin_ _had become so used to facing men bigger, tougher, scarier than her, that fear had become an emotion of her distant past. But the way her knees threatened to fail her and the way all of the hairs on her body seemed to rise let her know she’d felt it once again._

_“I’m giving you a choice. Let’s see. You take this job, earn way more than your regular salary gives you, have yourself and your sister live much more comfortably than you do now, get payback on useless rats just like your father...” His eyes narrowed, his features creasing even more and making the look on his face look that much more menacing._

_“Or you’re fired, get no salary at all, and the authorities will hear about two underage girls living together without any parents, thus placing you and your sister in the foster system, and who knows, you might even get separated in the process.”_

_Ryujin_ _clenched her jaw as every muscle in her body tensed with her trying not to get into the second fight of the night. She couldn’t. Not with what he’d just threatened to do._

_“You’re a smart girl, Shin_ _Ryujin_ _. I know you’ll make the right choice.” He leaned back in his chair and his face softened, his voice returning to that disturbingly jolly tone of before. “So, what’s it going to be?”_

****** 

Jisu took a hand to her mouth. “So, it’s my fault? I’m so sorry, I-” 

“It’s not your fault. I did what I had to do.” 

“But look where it got you!” 

“I would happen sooner or later. I’m even surprised how it never happened before, in a bar like that.” 

“You’re not even an adult yet... what about school?” 

“I dropped out. Surviving and providing food for Yuna is more important.” 

Jisu dropped her head. “I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t feel like that. And I can’t deny the job is easy, I mean, beating up disgusting old men like my father? Easy, and it pays fucking well. I need to feed myself and my sister, she’s still in school, and I don’t want to give the loan sharks a reason to be pissed with us.” 

The terror was back at Jisu’s eyes. 

“But beating up an innocent person? A girl around my age? That’s...” Ryujin felt her eyes warming up again. “That has been my biggest fear, that Yuna gets hurt because of the shit my father did. I don’t want to become the kind of monster my sister is afraid of!” 

“And you won’t.” Jisu held her hand. “You can leave that life. You can change what’s happening, you can put your boss and everyone in jail-” 

“Are you crazy?! No, I can’t, and I won’t.” 

“I will help you.” 

“I have too much to lose.” 

“Your sister? If anything happens, I’ll look out for her.” 

“No, Jisu.” 

“Ryujin, I’m serious. I told you, my brother is involved, I am involved. Just like you and your sister. If Yuna is your problem, and if anything happens to you, which it won’t, she will be provided for until she’s an adult. I promise.” 

“How can you promise that?” 

“Because I know and I will have you get out of this unharmed, and because I can.” Jisu’s eyes became serious. “Look, me and my family are well off. Our parents provide for our stay here in Korea, and there’s really nothing we lack. That’s why whatever trouble my brother’s in can’t be related to money. I need to find out what happened to him and get him out of this before my parents even find out he’s gone, and you need to get out of this mess and put those crooks in jail.” 

“What do you suggest then?” 

“Is that a yes?” 

“I don’t know what to say to that. Why should I trust you?” 

“Why should I trust _you_?” 

Ryujin shrugged. 

“What if I come up with a plan? Come on, we have nothing to lose. If we don’t do anything about it, things are only going to get worse.” 

Ryujin sighed. “If you come up with something, I’ll think about it.” 

Jisu smiled. “What about right now? What should I do?” 

“Try to reach your brother, tell him someone was sent after you as a warning, and that he should tell you what happened. If we’re serious about this, he needs to tell you everything he knows.” 

Jisu nodded, eyebrows drawn together. “I will do what I can.” 

Silence settled in, and Ryujin fidgeted in her seat. “Alright, I should get going then. I need to be at the bar soon to work and tell my boss everything went as it should.” 

“Wait, let’s exchange numbers, so I can tell you anything as soon as possible.” 

“I don’t think it’s smart to have your number in my phone.” 

“Save it as Lia.” Jisu extended her own phone. 

“Lia?” 

“Short for Julia, my English name. I lived in Canada for a few years.” 

Ryujin accepted the phone and removed her gloves to type her number, but then noticed how there was blood in her right hand. 

“Oh god, that was me, I’m so sorry!” Jisu widened her eyes. 

“It’s okay, I don’t blame you, you were just trying to defend yourself. I am really sorry, I didn’t want to hurt or scare you.” 

“It’s not your fault, Ryujin. I don’t resent you. And you need to clean that.” Jisu stood up. 

“No, it’s okay, it doesn’t even hurt.” 

But Jisu still stormed off. Ryujin looked at her hand again, at how Jisu’s teeth still marked her skin. It had been a strong bite indeed. 

And how didn’t Jisu resent her? 

“Can I?” Jisu’s voice brought Ryujin back. 

She sat beside her with her hand extended. Ryujin placed her hand on top of hers and let her clean the blood with a warm cloth. 

After what Ryujin tried, no, _did_ , Jisu was still offering her kindness. Was she doing that because Ryujin helped her before? 

“It’s cleaned and disinfected. If it doesn’t heal, you should go see a doctor.” 

“It’s just a bite, I’ve experienced worse.” 

“Does your head hurt? Or your arms?” 

“No, I’m fine, really. Can you lend me your phone again?” 

Ryujin typed her number on her phone. Jisu called her, and she saved her number as Lia, just like she told her. 

“Tell me if you come up with a plan or if you can reach your brother.” Ryujin stood up, and Jisu followed. 

“Thank you for trusting me.” 

Ryujin opened her mouth, but didn’t have anything else to add. She nodded at Jisu, grabbed her mask that still laid on the ground, swung the hoodie over her head and left. 

She really had no idea if what she had just done was the correct choice, but she also knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she laid a finger on Jisu. That was not the person Ryujin was. 

And she would not become the person she and her sister feared the most. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the subs and comments! I'm glad you're enjoying this story already, even though it's just in the beginning. 
> 
> Here's some explanations about what lead Ryujin to do that, and the next chapter is gonna have some fluff ^^


	3. Cold feet

It would feel normal to remember Jisu because of what had happened, and the fact that she said she would come up with a plan. Especially when she was at work. 

But it wasn’t normal that her face popped up in Ryujin’s mind every five minutes, right? She prepared breakfast, she remembered her. She went to sleep after a long night at the bar, she fell asleep with her face in her mind. 

It was obvious that Jisu was pretty. No, she was beautiful. And had an impossibly generous heart. 

Ryujin didn’t know her. She knew nothing about her. But did she want to? 

She sighed, preparing a drink for the man at the counter. She turned to serve the man with a forced smile, glad that he left to his group at the back. 

Ryujin shouldn’t even be thinking about how pretty Jisu was. She had more important things to think about- 

“Hey, Ryujin.” 

She snapped her head to the familiar voice and widened her eyes. “What are you doing here?!” 

“Just thought I should pay you a visit.” 

“Are you crazy?” Ryujin spat, looking around. Her colleagues weren’t paying attention to her, and boss Park wasn’t around. “I can’t be seen with you!” 

“Why not? Relax, I’m not supposed to know it was you, right?” Jisu whispered, winking at her. 

“R-Right, but still... I don’t know if it’s a good idea if we’re seen together. Or that you’re here at all, to be honest.” 

“Why? You’re the nice girl who saved me that night.” Jisu smiled at her, and fucking shit, she really had to be _that_ pretty. “I’m not here to talk about it. If I wanted, I would have sent you a message. I just really wanted to go out with my friends.” 

Ryujin scanned the room and found the same friends she was with that night. She took a deep breath and told herself it was okay. “What can I get you, then?” 

“Surprise me.” 

“I have no idea what you like.” 

“Even better.” 

Ryujin frowned at her, an attempt to not show in her face how Jisu’s smirk affected her. She turned to the bar and looked at the bottles, telling herself to calm the fuck down. Her eyes landed on the pineapple juice, so she fetched it, along with some rum, coconut cream, and ice, and threw it on the blender. 

Since she let her choose, might as well serve Jisu her favorite drink. 

“Here.” 

Jisu eyed the glass and took a sip. “Piña colada?” 

“Is it good?” 

“Awesome.” 

“How old are you?” 

Jisu irked an eyebrow at her. “Asking a girl her age like that?” 

Ryujin gulped, feeling her face warming up. “J-Just because, well, okay, if you’re here, you’re an adult. Unlike me,” she whispered the last part, and Jisu chuckled. _Music to Ryujin’s ears._

“You’re right. I’m twenty, so, I’m legally here. How about you?” 

“Still nineteen.” 

“I would never tell. You look older than me.” 

“I do?” 

“Don’t get it wrong! Just... you have a mature vibe.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“You’re very pretty.” 

“W-What?” 

Jisu laughed again, and Ryujin was glad the lighting in the bar was dim. “S-Shouldn’t you join your friends? You came here with them, after all.” 

“I also came to see you. I told you, I know nothing. I wouldn't hide forever after what happened, even if it had happened like it should. I’m just... being me. So, this is what I would do.” 

“Come here and flirt with me?” Ryujin blurted, and cursed at herself the same second. 

“Flirt?” Jisu smirked. “So _you_ think I was flirting.” 

“N-No, I mean... Forget what I said, please.” 

“I mean, I can flirt with you, if that’s what you want.” Jisu leaned forward on the counter, resting her chin on her palm. 

Ryujin widened her eyes, and looked away from the collarbones that peeked out of her cleavage. 

“I’m joking,” Jisu said, and took another sip on her piña colada. “But I’m going to let you work and I’ll go back to my friends. I’ll recommend this to them, by the way.” 

“Y-Yeah, okay. Have fun.” 

Jisu smiled at her and left, joining her friends who danced together in the dance floor. 

Ryujin turned around and leaned against the counter, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. 

_This did just not happen._

She couldn’t even say it back. That Jisu is gorgeous. 

It didn’t feel right. How could Jisu be acting like this after what Ryujin did? 

“Ryujin?” 

She looked up at Sooyoung. “Yes?” 

“Everything alright?” 

“Yeah, absolutely. I just need to pee, actually.” 

Sooyoung chuckled and patted her shoulder. 

Ryujin splashed her face with water and looked at her reflection in the mirror. 

She could have not hit Jisu when she was supposed to, but she still followed her home, and broke inside. She still shoved her into the door and covered up her mouth. She was the reason for the terror in Jisu’s eyes. 

Ryujin shook her head and splashed more water in her face, trying to erase that image from her mind, alongside the image of the terror in Yuna’s eyes. The first time the loan sharks appeared at their house, Yuna was the one opening the door, and the way they grabbed on her shoulders... Yuna was a strong girl, and way mature for her age. Even though she liked to claim she wasn’t scared of those people at all, Ryujin knew she acted like that out of pride, and not to make her worry too much about her. 

She didn’t mind beating up people who actually deserved it, but she didn’t know what else boss Park could ask her to do. This time, she was lucky she could chicken out with Jisu, but who knew what else she would have to do? 

She went back to the bar and ignored the few guys waiting to get their drink, and instead, scanned around for Jisu. There she was, dancing way too close to one of her friends, and Ryujin didn’t like how that made her feel. 

“Hey, little girl, can I have my soju already?” one of the guys barked, and Ryujin took a quick breath before shooting him a fake smile. 

“Of course.” She turned to prepare it, gripping on the bottle with a bit too much strength. 

It shouldn’t matter the person Jisu was dancing with. But then, why did Ryujin find herself wishing it was her instead? 

Jisu would hopefully be the help she needed to get out of there, nothing else. She shouldn’t be mixing business with personal feelings. 

But when Jisu approached the bar a mere five minutes later, wearing that smile Ryujin felt honored just to be able to see, her mind fogged. How was she supposed to avoid said personal feelings when she smiled like that at her? 

“Yeji loved the piña colada. Can you prepare one for her?” 

“Sure.” 

“You look tense,” Jisu said, and something warm rested on top of Ryujin’s hand, making her look down at Jisu’s hand on hers, “did something happen?” 

Ryujin retracted her hand. “I’m fine. Anything else?” 

“One more for me.” 

Ryujin attended to Jisu’s request and prepared the two cocktails, somehow feeling her eyes on her. 

“You can talk to me,” Jisu said as Ryujin turned and set the two glasses in front of her. 

“About what?” 

“You know. Or anything at all.” 

Ryujin stared at her. “I’m fine, really.” 

Jisu sighed. “You’re not alone. Please remember that.” She grabbed the glasses, leaving Ryujin with her thoughts. 

Did she... upset her? Ryujin growled, squeezing the cleaning cloth in her hand. It shouldn’t even matter. But her heart clenched when her smile disappeared, and kept clenching as she watched Jisu dancing with... Yeji, was it? 

She was already in too much of a mess to go and let herself catch a bad case of feelings. She was used to fighting, so she would fight this off too. 

\--- 

Almost two hours and three more visits from Jisu later, and she was walking back to the bar again. 

“I don’t know if I should make you another one,” Ryujin said. 

“I don’t want more. But what if I did?” 

“So, you do?” 

Jisu chuckled. “No, we’re going home. I just wanted to say bye.” 

“Do you have someone to go with you?” 

“You wanna take me home?” 

“If you don’t have anyone to go with you, I will.” 

“But you’re still working.” 

“I can manage.” 

“Hyunjin, or Heejin, I don’t know, will call a cab for the four of us, don’t worry. But now I know you would take me home.” Jisu winked at her. 

“Alright, text me when you arrive,” Ryujin said, cleaning another glass. 

“You’re so sweet.” 

A sigh escaped Ryujin’s lips. Jisu was obviously drunk. 

“I mean it. You have a really kind heart, Ryujin.” 

“Your friends must be waiting for you.” 

Jisu looked behind over her shoulder and indeed found Yeji waving at her. She pouted at Ryujin. “Sad that I have to leave already. Text me when you get home as well.” 

“At six in the morning?” 

“Yes.” 

Ryujin laughed, and Jisu frowned at her. “I’m serious! I expect to see your message when I wake up.” 

“Of course.” 

“Have a good night.” 

“You too.” 

Jisu shot her a smile before turning to leave with her friends, and Ryujin kept it cool until she finally stepped outside. She leaned against the counter with a heavy sigh, but was quick to focus on her job again. Still, her heart hit her chest for some reason unknown to her. 

About fifteen minutes later, her phone vibrated on her pocket. 

_[Lia]_   
_I’m home. Thank you for the night_

Ryujin frowned. 

_[Ryujin]_   
_I didn’t do anything, but I’m glad you had fun._

_[Lia]_   
_Yes you did. Didn’t I tell you I wanted to go out so I could see you?_

The frown in Ryujin’s face deepened. What was she supposed to answer to that? Jisu was drunk, and it was not like Ryujin wasn’t used to dealing with drunk people. Just not... Jisu. 

“Ryujin,” Sooyoung called, making Ryujin look away from the phone and the message she still couldn't come up to answer. “Boss is calling you.” 

Ryujin gulped, trying not to show too much how her body jerked. “Okay, thank you.” 

It had nothing to do with Jisu. It was probably a job. An easy one. One that let her go home with a good sum of money, and she could go buy a delicious mocha bread with it, and one for Yuna. 

She knocked on the door and stepped inside. 

“Ryujin, have a seat,” he said with his usual creepy smile. 

Ryujin nodded and obeyed without a word. 

“I saw you talking with Choi Jisu.” 

_Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, fuck._

“Getting cold feet?” He asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the desk. 

“She has no idea it was me. She’s just being nice because I helped her that night,” Ryujin said, as calm and natural as she could. 

The smile on his lips turned into a smirk, making Ryujin’s stomach twist. 

“Perfect. I thought I wouldn’t need you for this anymore, but I guess I’ll change my plans. I could send someone else to beat her up, but if it didn’t work with you, let’s instead try another thing,” he said, talking with such ease, like he was talking about how to make a cocktail. “Befriend her.” 

“How so?” 

“Get close to her, get the info we need about her brother. Specifically, where he is.” 

Ryujin balled her fists under the table and used all her might not to move a muscle in her face. “I’ll try my best.” 

“I don’t expect any less than your best, Ryujin. I know you can do this, and make sure she does not suspect anything. Oh, and since you have the weekend off, use the time to be with her and gather some information, and report it to me on Monday. You can go back to work.” 

She nodded and stood up, controlling how her legs wanted to take her closer to him instead so she could punch his face, but she walked towards the door. 

“And try to be fast, alright? Keep me updated when you have new info. The longer we take, the farther he’ll run.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

She knew she had to go back to the bar, but she wasn’t strong enough to hold the vomit much longer. She rushed to the toilet and let it all out, but even so, she couldn’t stop shaking as she washed her hands and face in the sink. 

His words kept ringing in her ears like a broken CD. The way he spoke about Jisu... Ryujin clenched her jaw so hard her teeth hurt against each other, and her nails dug onto her palms. 

She only remembered feeling this angry at her own father. 

Ryujin only hoped her boss wouldn’t send someone else after Jisu. She really didn’t want to go to jail for killing someone. 

\--- 

Ryujin dropped her body to the couch and her head back, closing her eyes. Byullie and Dallie jumped to her side and snuggled together on her lap. She dug her hands in their soft fur and let a small smile appear on her lips. _And people say cats are bitches..._

That’s right, Jisu did ask her to tell her when she was home. She fetched her phone and as she opened the convo with her, she realized she hadn’t answered to her last message. 

She read it again, and again, and again. 

_Didn’t I tell you I wanted to go out so I could see you?_

That was... drunk talk, right? It could only be. 

_[Ryujin]_   
_I’m home. And we need to talk._ _Are_ _you free_ _tomorrow_ _?_

She had to tell her what her boss told her. She had to tell Jisu she was all in for taking him and all his schemes down. 

But for now, she would drag her body upstairs, to bed, too tired to fight Jisu’s face from filling her mind as she drifted off to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, feelings
> 
> let's see how this will turn out :))
> 
> hope everyone is enjoying this story so far!! 


	4. You should do that more often

The rays of the sun peeked through the blinds, waking Ryujin up. She blinked, checking the time on her phone, but the notification from Jisu was far more important. 

_[_ _Lia]_   
_Yes, I'm free today._ _Tell me when_ _and where_ _you want to meet me_

Not a word about last night. She sighed, not knowing what she was disappointed for. 

_[Ryujin]_   
_My house, I’ll send you the location. Whenever you wanna, I_ _have the day free_

It was Saturday, Yuna was probably studying, and all Ryujin wanted was to stay in bed. But then she remembered Yuna was going to have floorball practice later, and she had to cook something and take her to school. So, with that thought, Ryujin fought through and stood up, sending Jisu a message telling her to show up after 6 before going straight to the bathroom for a warm and relaxing shower. 

And when she came back, there was already an answer. 

_[_ _Lia_ _]_   
_Alright, I’ll be there._

And for some reason, Ryujin’s heart beat in anticipation. She shook her head and threw her phone to her bed. 

\--- 

Ryujin checked the time as she returned home. It was barely six, so, Jisu could show up at any minute now. Should she prepare something for them to munch on? 

No, Jisu wasn’t coming there to play or to spend some free time with her. They were going to talk about serious stuff, and that was all. So, Ryujin sat and turned on the tv, skipping through the news channels, because she honestly didn’t want to hear sad things in that moment. 

The bell rang. Ryujin jumped on the couch, but remembered it was Jisu this time. She stood up and moved to the door, fixing her hair before opening it. 

Jisu smiled at her as their eyes met, and Ryujin’s stomach did a couple somersaults. 

“Hi.” 

“Hey, come in.” Ryujin moved so she could step in. 

She closed the door and let Jisu look around. Byulie jumped down the couch and approached Jisu with curious eyes, meowing at her. 

“Oh, hello there.” Jisu squatted and let him smell her hand before petting the Siamese cat’s head. “I didn’t know you had a cat.” 

“I have two, in fact. Dallie is over there.” Ryujin pointed at the armchair, where the white cat with a few grey spots here and there laid with his eyes half open. “Sleeping as always.” 

“They’re so cute. Even the names.” 

“I named them.” 

Jisu looked back at her with a smile, until she giggled, shaking her head. 

“What?” Ryujin frowned. 

“Nothing, it’s just really cute. What did you want to talk about?” 

Ryujin gulped. “Let’s sit.” 

Jisu followed her, sitting next to her and waiting for her to speak. 

“My boss told me to befriend you so I could get info about your brother.” 

There was silence, and Ryujin couldn’t read Jisu’s face at all. She kept her expression blank, blinking, her lips pursed. 

“Fucking shit...” Jisu breathed out with a sigh. “So, what do you intend to do?” 

“I wanna do what you said. Take him down, take this shit down. He needs to be stopped.” 

Jisu widened her eyes. “Really?” 

“Yes. The way he talked about you, I just...” Ryujin clenched her jaw, trying to push the words to the back of her mind. 

“What did he say?” 

“Like you’re nothing more than a pawn in his game. Something to use to get to his end goal. Not a pinch of regret or resentment for sending someone to beat you up.” 

“And in the middle of everything, I was lucky it was you. Don’t think about it, we’ll do something about this, he’ll pay for what he’s doing.” 

“But what are we supposed to do?” Ryujin’s voice came out desperate. 

“I need to reach my brother. I don’t know how, but that’s the first thing. We need to know what happened.” 

“But I need to tell him something. He’s expecting news on Monday. I’m afraid of what he could do if I tell him either I couldn’t get anything, or that you still couldn’t reach him. What if he sends someone else after you?” The panic was back in Ryujin’s voice. “I can’t let that happen, you don’t deserve-” 

“That won’t happen.” Jisu interrupted, resting a hand on her leg. “If he told you to do this, it’s because he trusts you, right? Also, you said he’s been blackmailing you. I’m sure he doesn’t think you would do anything to defy him. You can just lie to him.” 

“And tell him what? As soon as he has new info, he’ll act on it. I can’t lie to him about where your brother is, he’ll find out in an instant.” 

“What if you tell him he’s overseas, but you still couldn’t figure out where exactly? He can’t just search the whole world, but still, you give him some info, and proof that you’re working on it.” 

Ryujin pondered on it, staring at Jisu’s hand still on her leg, and only now she noticed how it had calmed her down. 

“I guess I can do that. But what if we can’t reach your brother?” 

“We will. Maybe if I tell him what we’re trying to do, he will want to help us.” 

Ryujin sighed, the worried still prickling under her skin. 

“Don’t worry, everything will be okay.” Jisu’s voice was so soft, so tender, it drew Ryujin’s eyes to hers. Jisu was beautiful as ever. Her small and almost hand drawn lips gave Ryujin a smile that made her heart shot up. 

“A-Are you hungry?” Ryujin asked. 

“Now that you mention it, I kinda am.” 

“Okay, I’ll prepare something for us.” 

“I can help you.” 

“No, it’s okay, really. You can watch tv or play with the cats. I’ll be right back.” 

Ryujin bolted from the couch to the kitchen. It was the first thing that came up to her mind to end the silence, and now she was going to cook for Jisu. 

But was she bothered with it, though? 

She had told herself that Jisu was there to talk about business, but... she was already there. It shouldn’t hurt to keep her there for longer, and to be in her company. 

Right? 

Ryujin told herself it was okay, time and time again as she fetched the leftover rice from the fridge. It was okay for Jisu to be there. It was okay for Ryujin to want Jisu there, even though she didn’t deserve it. 

And as she cooked the fried rice, she peeked over her shoulder. The same movie Ryujin was watching before still played on the tv, but Jisu wasn’t paying attention at all. Ryujin could see her side profile, and a small smile as she looked down, probably petting Byulie, even though she couldn’t see it behind the back of the couch. But just the thought of it was enough to make Ryujin smile, even if for just a second, because when she realized she was doing it, she looked back at the rice frying in the pan. 

Ryujin prepared two bowls and went back to the living room, taking in for a second the image that was previously just her imagination. She cleared her throat, stealing Jisu’s attention. 

“It’s ready.” Ryujin handed her a bowl, and sat down, leaving Byulie laying down between them. 

Jisu took a spoonful of rice and wowed as soon as she took it to her mouth. 

“It’s delicious.” She took another big bite, frowning in contentment. “I need to come here more often so you can cook for me.” 

_She’s just joking._

“Thank you,” Ryujin said. “I always cook for me and Yuna, so I guess I got good at it.” 

Jisu’s bright expression died all of a sudden. 

“What is it?” 

“I remembered about what you told me, about your father and all. I’m sorry.” 

Ryujin bit on her cheek. “Well, yes, that’s the reason.” 

“What about your mother?” 

The question she dreaded the most. The one thing she didn’t want to remember. 

“She died a couple years ago.” 

Jisu stopped munching. “Ryujin, I’m... I am so sorry.” 

Ryujin forced herself to swallow the food in her mouth and forced a smile at her. “It’s okay, don’t worry. You didn’t know.” 

“You don’t need to act all tough with me. I already told you, I’m here if you want to talk about anything.” 

And there she was again, touching Ryujin’s every exposed wound, even though she couldn’t see them. Ryujin dropped her head, but still fought the tears. 

The bowl was stolen from her hands, then she felt arms circling around her torso, and a head on her shoulder. 

“It’s okay to feel things. You don’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. I’m here, and I want to help that pain to go away, so, don’t hold anything back,” Jisu whispered, her breathing warming her neck, and Ryujin didn’t have the strength to hold it back anymore. 

She broke down, burying her face in the crook of Jisu’s neck, and she pulled her closer, inviting Ryujin to hug her back, _and kicking_ _Byulie_ _out of the couch in the process._

Ryujin never broke like this. She didn’t like to cry. She thought it showed weakness. 

But with Jisu, it was the second time already. But Ryujin didn’t feel embarrassed. She hugged Jisu back, gripping on her sweater and kept on crying as Jisu caressed her hair. 

None said a word, and Ryujin took her time. She had calmed down by now, the tears stopped flowing down her eyes, but she didn’t pull away, and neither did Jisu. Ryujin felt safe in Jisu’s arms, almost like with Yuna. But... It still felt somehow different. 

With Jisu, it didn’t feel sisterly at all. 

Ryujin took a deep breath, taking in the sweet scent of Jisu’s perfume. She was so close to her, her lips almost grazing on the skin of her neck... 

She pulled away, cleaning her eyes with the back of her hand. Those thoughts scared her, and she couldn’t let them take over her mind. 

“Are you feeling better?” Jisu asked, keeping her hands on her shoulders and giving them a little squeeze. 

“Yes. Thank you. Sorry, the rice is probably cold now.” 

Jisu giggled and took both bowls from the coffee table again, handing Ryujin hers. 

“It’s still perfect.” 

They finished their meal in silence. Ryujin kept staring at the bowl in her hands, but she could feel Jisu’s eyes on her sometimes. For some reason, she couldn’t make herself look back at her. Maybe because she couldn’t shake away the feeling that she didn’t deserve that treatment from Jisu. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Jisu asked. “With your mother.” 

Ryujin looked at her at last. 

“Only if you want to, of course. You don’t have to, but if you want to talk about it, I’m here.” 

But was it wrong to still want it? To still want her to be there with her, _for her?_

“She died in a car accident. It wasn’t even her fault. A drunk driver hit her car and...” Ryujin bit her cheek, feeling her eyes getting warmer again, and a hand came to grab hers. “That was all that took to take her life away. To take her away from me and Yuna. After that, Yuna and I tried out best to make it through, but my stupid father dealt with it through gambling and alcohol, so here we are.” 

A head rested on her shoulder, and fingers intertwined in hers. Ryujin felt her heart drumming on her chest, but still allowed her hand to squeeze Jisu’s. 

“I’m sorry, Ryujin. I don’t even know what else I could possibly say. There’s no way I could know what you went through. All I can do is be here for you.” 

“Why?” Ryujin found herself asking. “Why are you acting like this, when I did what I did to you? Shouldn’t you hate me? Resent me? Despise me?” 

Jisu pulled away, giving Ryujin a look. “Maybe if I was someone else, I would. Maybe if I didn’t know you, if I didn’t know what lead you to do that, I would. But even though I don’t know you for long, I know what kind of person you are. That’s why I don’t hate, resent, or despise you. Far from that. I think you’re strong and brave.” 

Ryujin scoffed. “Am I really?” 

“Yes. Why? Do you think you’re a coward?” 

“Actually, yes.” 

“If you were a coward, would you defend me that night? Would you go against what your boss told you to do?” Jisu asked, and Ryujin remained silent. “There you go.” 

Ryujin shook her head with a shy smile, looking away from Jisu’s teasing smirk. 

“And you should do that more often.” 

“That what?” Ryujin asked. 

“Smile.” 

Ryujin didn’t know if the time slowed down, or if she was the one that froze in time, staring back at Jisu’s eyes. 

_She’s just..._

But she didn’t have a reason to justify Jisu’s actions this time. 

Ryujin’s eyes wandered down for a second, and it almost felt like too much. She shouldn’t even be looking at Jisu’s lips, admiring how perfect they were, and absolutely not wondering how they would feel- 

The door opened, startling both girls, who shot their heads in the direction. Yuna stepped inside and met their stares, frowning as she closed the door. 

Ryujin bolted from the couch. “Yuna! Didn’t I tell you to not come home alone?” 

“You didn’t answer your phone, I imagined you were busy or resting, and didn’t want to bother. I didn’t come alone though, Yeojin came with me.” 

“That midget?” 

“Hey, don’t be rude to her!” 

“I’m not being rude, I’m worried! What would you or she do if the sharks appeared to you? At this hour in the night? Do you want to involve your friend as well?” 

“It’s Saturday, and they don’t have a reason to do so. Now, care to... introduce me?” Yuna eyed Jisu, and she stood up, giving her a quick bow. 

“Hi, Yuna, I’m Choi Jisu, Ryujin’s friend. Nice to meet you.” 

Yuna irked an eyebrow, her eyes jumping between the two girls. “Why didn’t I know you had a new friend?” 

Jisu giggled, and Ryujin cleared her throat. “I-It’s recent. Go upstairs and take your shower, then go eat. There’s fried rice in the stove for you.” 

“Thank you, sis. I’ll leave you two alone then. Nice meeting you, Jisu!” 

Jisu gave her a smile and they watched in silence as Yuna went upstairs. Ryujin sighed, dropping her body to the couch. Jisu followed. 

“She doesn’t know, does she?” Jisu asked, her voice low as a whisper. 

“No. And it must stay like that. But it’s okay that she knows you. We are indeed friends. R-Right?” 

“Of course we are.” 

And for some reason, that warmed Ryujin’s heart. 

“I should get going. It’s getting late and Yuna is home now, so spend some time with her.” Jisu stood up. 

“Alright. Do you want me to take you home?” 

“That’s right, I did say yesterday I would remember that you would take me home if I needed.” Jisu winked at Ryujin. “But that’s okay, I’ll call an uber.” 

“D-Do you remember what you said yesterday?” 

“Yes. I know I was drunk, but I remember.” Jisu chuckled. “Why?” 

“Nothing.” 

“I meant it, though. That I wanted to see you. But you didn’t answer that message.” Jisu pouted. 

“I-I’m sorry, my boss called me to... have that conversation. I was so anxious I forgot.” 

Jisu’s features softened. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was just joking, it’s okay that you didn’t answer, I was not mad or anything.” Jisu babbled, and Ryujin cracked a light chuckle. 

“It’s okay. Do you want me to answer it now?” 

Jisu stared at her, and Ryujin didn’t know if she was seeing things, or if her cheeks had become redder. Her phone rang, interrupting the moment. 

“M-My uber is here, I gotta go.” 

“I’ll walk you out.” 

Ryujin led the way, still wondering if she should answer or not. 

“Tell me when you arrive,” Ryujin said as Jisu opened the door of the car. 

“I will. Have a good weekend.” 

“You too.” Jisu nodded and was about to get inside when Ryujin felt the urge controlling her vocal chords. “By the way, I’m happy you wanted to go see me.” 

Jisu’s eyes widened for a second. She smiled, that beautiful smile Ryujin thought was the prettiest in the world and got in, closing the door. Ryujin watched the car started before heading back inside. She closed the door and leaned her back against it, letting her head fall back until it also hit the door. 

Maybe she was getting too comfortable with Jisu. Maybe she was not being hard enough on herself and on her feelings. 

But... did she want to? Was she going to let something she was doing against her will, which she had a hope of getting out of soon thanks to Jisu, get in the way of living her life? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was meant to update yesterday but I forgot lmao I'm sorry!
> 
> A bit more drama and backstory kekeke but let's take a break of the drama in the next chapter, so expect more fluff and feelings and yeah <3


	5. The hardest way

Ryujin finished preparing the drinks a group of young guys had ordered. Since there were no customers at the counter now, she should take a walk around the bar and collect the empty glasses. 

At least no one broke a glass thus far that night, because it had happened literally almost every night since Ryujin had started working there-- 

A guy had a girl trapped against the wall, on the small corridor that lead to the restrooms. A sudden, uncontrollable wave of rage pulsed in every vein of Ryujin’s body as she saw the terror in the girl’s face. Ryujin set the glasses down on the nearest table and let her legs take her there, to do what she had and wanted so bad to do. But as she was about to grab on the guy’s arm, an unknown force held Ryujin’s body still. She tried to move, but she couldn’t. As if her body was a puppet, and it didn’t matter how much she struggled to move, to take another step forward, the strings in her limbs kept her in place. 

She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The man looked back at her and gave her a disgusting smirk as he held on the girl’s chin, and when Ryujin took another look at her, tears threatened to roll down her eyes. 

She tried to call for Jisu’s name, to tell her to fight back, to get out, but her mouth wouldn’t open. 

_Not again..._

She had to do something. To help her, to take her out of that creep’s arms. 

But she couldn’t, and he was leaning in closer, and closer... 

“JISU!” Ryujin jerked on her bed, eyes shooting open. She brought her torso up, sitting and looking around frantically for Jisu. 

Hoarse and fast breaths echoed in the silence of her room. She gulped, feeling her throat dry, and let her body fall back to the bed. 

_It was just a dream._

A nightmare, to be more precise. She reached for her phone next to her pillow to check the time. Almost ten. She intended to sleep a bit more, but she felt wide awake, and the images wouldn’t leave her mind. 

She had to check on Jisu. Ryujin knew it was a dream, but she still had to. 

_[Ryujin]_   
_Hey. You awake?_

The answer came almost immediately. 

_[Lia]_   
_Hi, yeah I am. Everything okay?_

That should be Ryujin asking. But why ask, if she could... see it for herself? 

_[Ryujin]_   
_Yeah. I was thinking about what you said yesterday, and I think you’re right. I should smile more. Are you free today?_

She only hoped it wasn’t too blunt, or lame, or cringey. But when Jisu took a bit more to answer, Ryujin feared it had been exactly that. 

_[Lia]_   
_It depends._

Ryujin bit on her tongue. 

_[Ryujin]_   
_I was just thinking if you wanted to hang out today, but it’s okay if you’re busy and can't make it._

That was a bad idea, and Ryujin was already regretting pressing the send button. But she still kept her eyes on her phone, waiting for her answer. 

_[Lia]_   
_Then yes, I am absolutely free ;)_   
_What do you wanna do?_

Ryujin blinked. Was that a winky face? 

_[Ryujin]_   
_Do you wanna grab lunch and go to the movies? You can suggest something else if you wanna._

_[Lia]_   
_Sounds perfect. Mall at noon?_

_[Ryujin]_   
_I’ll be there._

_[Lia]_   
_I’ll see you soon, then :)_

Ryujin was aware of the big, silly grin on her face, but she didn’t mind. There was just something else she wanted to add. 

_[_ _Ryujin_ _]_   
_Can we just... not talk about everything going on all day? I really need a break from it._

_[Lia]_   
_Of course, that’s perfect._

It sounded perfect indeed, spending time with Jisu. They were friends, after all. Just like Jisu had said the previous day. Not simply two people trying to take a shady business down. 

Ryujin jumped out of bed and went downstairs, finding Yuna watching TV. 

“Oh, good morning!” 

“Good morning.” Ryujin greeted back, caressing Yuna’s head. 

Yuna widened her eyes at her. “You’re smiling first thing in the morning. Is there mocha bread in the kitchen and I don’t know about it?” 

Ryujin chucked. “No, but I’ll buy some today. I’m going to the movies.” 

“With your _friend_ Jisu?” 

“Yep.” 

“Since when do you know her? And why didn’t I know about her? You don’t have many friends, after all.” 

“Yah.” Ryujin messed up her hair, making Yuna giggle. “I have! Chaeryeong, and...” 

“And you haven’t spoken with her for a while.” 

“She’s busy with school, I don’t want to bother her. But yes, I should check on her. About Jisu, well, remember that girl I said I helped in the bar?” 

“The one you got into a fight for?” 

“Yes. It’s her. We somehow... kept in touch and we get along well.” 

Yuna smirked, shaking her head. “What kind of love story is that? Falling for the one you saved?” 

Ryujin frowned. “What are you talking about, Shin Yuna?” 

“You’re blushing. You seriously couldn’t be more obvious.” 

“She’s a friend, that’s all.” 

“A very pretty friend that you totally crushed on. That’s okay, I’m not judging you! Good luck with your date today.” 

“It’s not a date.” Ryujin rolled her eyes, walking to the kitchen. 

But she didn’t mind if it was a date. At all. 

She fetched a tangerine, shaking her head, and went back to the living room, sitting next to Yuna and patting her lap so Dallie would jump to her. “What are you gonna do today?” 

“Having a study session with Yeojin, Hyejoo and Yerim.” 

“You going to Yeojin’s house?” 

“Yes.” 

“I’ll walk you there, and then tell me when you’re coming home, so I can go get you.” 

“It’s okay, you’re not going to interrupt your date for me. And I’m sure I’ll come back with Hyejoo and Yerim.” 

Ryujin pondered for a second. The sharks didn’t have any reason to bother her. Ryujin hadn’t failed a payment in months. It would be fine. 

“Okay. But tell me when you’ll be coming home, and when you arrive.” 

“Alright, I will. Thank you.” Yuna kissed her sister’s cheek. 

\--- 

Ryujin spent probably too much time on her outfit. She wore a t-shirt and jeans, too simple. She put on an off-shoulder top and skirt, too much. She didn’t want to go to plain, but also not... too fancy. 

She looked down for the nth time since she got to the mall, reassuring herself she was perfect in a white crop top and a thin choker around her neck, high waist black jeans, and a leather jacket. 

Was the crop top too much? Too revealing? Too... _date-kind-of-clothes?_ What about the choker? Should she take it off? 

All questions seemed worthless, now that Jisu was in sight. She wore a simple sleeveless black top with some lace details around the collar, tight jeans, and a plaid, long beige jacket. Her hair was carefully parted in the middle, with waves that danced gracefully with each step she took closer to Ryujin. She was out of words already, even though she hadn’t even opened her mouth yet. 

“Hey.” Jisu graced her with a smile. 

“Hi. You look beautiful.” 

_This was not a date!_

“Oh my, thank you, Ryujin. You too. The top looks great on you,” Jisu said as her eyes wandered down, and Ryujin felt naked for a second. 

“T-Thanks. Yours too.” Ryujin couldn’t help but do the same, especially when Jisu’s collarbones were exposed like that. She had never seen such noticeable, sharp collarbones, and they looked so--- 

“You hungry?” Jisu asked. 

Ryujin’s eyes went huge for a second as she finally looked up. “What?” 

Jisu irked an eyebrow, but chuckled. “Hungry. We’re gonna have lunch, right? Or have you eaten already?” 

“Oh. No, I haven’t. And yes, I am hungry. I only had a tangerine when I woke up.” 

“Then let’s eat?” 

“Sure.” 

Ryujin let Jisu go ahead. She needed a moment to let her face stop burning like that. She must have been out of her mind not to understand a question that simple and straightforward like that... Or she was being too obvious. And yet again, she reminded herself that was not a date or anything of the sort. 

They opted for a delicious, greasy burger and fries, and when Ryujin was about to hand the waiter the money to pay for her food, Jisu stepped in and shoved her card into his hands. 

“It’s on me.” 

“What, why?” 

“Because I want to.” 

“But you don’t need to.” 

“But I want to. Just accept it.” 

Ryujin sighed. “Alright. Thank you.” 

The silence as they ate bothered Ryujin. Or maybe it what the thoughts in her head. 

“Do you feel sorry for my situation?” she ended up asking. 

“Hm? What do you mean?” 

“Is that why you paid for my food?” 

“No, Ryujin. I really just wanted to. I know if you couldn’t afford it, you wouldn’t invite me to hang out and expect me to pay for you. And didn’t you say you didn’t want to talk about these things?” 

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine. I’ll let you pay next time. If you want a next time.” 

“Of course!” Ryujin answered almost too fast. 

“Great.” Jisu smiled, driving her attention back to her burger. 

_A next time._

That wasn’t... asking for too much, was it? It was Jisu that suggested it. If she did, it was because she wanted it. Right? 

“What do you wanna watch?” Jisu looked up, scanning the posters of the available movies. 

“Whatever is not sad shit.” 

“There’s a romantic comedy. Do you like those?” 

“It may not seem like it, but I do like those.” 

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem much like it.” Jisu chuckled. 

Ryujin laughed along. “I actually also like dramas, but I’m not in the mood.” 

“Of course. Today is a day to have fun, not to leave the movies crying.” 

They paid for their tickets and Ryujin got popcorn for the both of them. Jisu fought it, but accepted since she paid for her lunch. 

The room was pretty much empty, only a couple here and there. 

And then Ryujin and Jisu, sitting on the furthest row. 

“You okay?” Jisu asked, resting a hand on Ryujin’s leg. 

“Yes, why?” 

“Your leg is bouncing a lot.” 

“Oh, that’s just something I always do, don’t worry.” 

Ryujin wasn’t lying, but she also wouldn’t say she was nervous because Jisu was right next to her, in an almost empty room with dim lights. And the hand that was still on her leg didn’t help. 

No, Ryujin was not nervous. She was... _excited_. Her body trembled slightly, her hand gripped around the popcorn bucket she held between them, a smile wanted to break free on her lips, and her chest beat not too fast, but hard. 

She stole a glance at Jisu. She looked ahead, focusing on the trailers playing before the actual movie, and she must have felt Ryujin’s eyes on her, because she met her gaze. And instead of looking away, like Ryujin should have just done, she held her gaze. 

And Jisu didn’t have to, but she smiled at Ryujin, and that image was so beautiful she wanted to capture it in a picture, print it, frame it, and hang it on her wall. 

“Do you wanna say something?” Jisu asked. 

Not quite say, but to _do_ something... 

“D-Do want a drink?” Was the first thing that came to Ryujin’s mind. 

Jisu tried to hold her laugh, Ryujin could tell, but she failed. “Only if you want one.” 

“I’m okay.” 

“I am as well.” 

“Okay. I was just wondering if you were thirsty.” 

“Why? Do I look like I am?” Jisu smirked. She dared to give Ryujin a _smirk,_ while her eyes went down for a fraction of a second. 

“B-Because of the popcorn.” 

“I’m okay, but I’ll tell you if I change my mind.” 

Ryujin nodded and looked ahead, her eyes on the big screen, but her mind miles away from whatever trailer was playing now. 

She tried, she really did, to tell herself that Jisu was joking. She couldn’t be... that blunt, right? But she still didn’t know her enough. Maybe she was that blunt, and Ryujin was learning about it the hardest way. 

But... what if Jisu was actually flirting with her? 

The lights went out, leaving only the screen illuminating the room. Ryujin closed her eyes for a few seconds, taking in a couple deep breaths, and focused on the movie about to start. 

Surprisingly, she was able to forget about it for a while, immersing in the story. Your typical comedic romance, cliché, lame, funny, but enjoyable. 

But not even in a movie like that, the classic hands touching while they reached for the popcorn happened. So, it shouldn’t happen in real life. 

Why did it just happen to them? Ryujin just wanted a few more from the bottom of the bucket, and her fingers had to brush against Jisu as she tried to do the same. 

“Sorry,” Ryujin mumbled. 

Jisu gave her a smile, and Ryujin wondered how was she going to focus on the movie again. Especially when the most special, most waited moment approached. The kiss. 

With the classic excessive amount of time until the couple’s lips meet, it gave Ryujin a second to peek at Jisu. She didn’t know why she did it, as she also didn’t know why _Jisu_ did it, but it made Ryujin snap her head back to the big screen even faster. 

The couple kissed, at last, and for some reason, Ryujin’s face warmed up. Maybe because of the images popping up on her mind, of the thing she had been day and night dreaming about, even knowing she shouldn’t. 

But then again, _why_ shouldn’t she? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryujin's whipped, yep yep
> 
> Look forward to the next chapter.............. :)))


	6. Worthy of love

“Did you like it?” Jisu asked as she stepped outside the theater. 

“Yes. It had been a while since I last came to the movies.” 

“I’m glad you had fun, then.” 

Ryujin peeked at Jisu, finding her nodding with a smile. 

“What now? Do you wanna go home?” Jisu asked. 

“It’s still early.” Ryujin checked the time on her phone. “Do you wanna go take a look at the stores?” 

“Of course, it’s been a while since I did some shopping.” 

Ryujin didn’t mind following Jisu around, or maybe with a bit of luck watch her try clothes or accessories and give an opinion, but all she wanted was to spend more time with her. 

Jisu grabbed a dress, then one more, and a leather jacket, and walked to the dressing rooms, looking back to make sure Ryujin followed. She did, gladly. Ryujin waited for her to try one of the pieces, and when the curtain flew to reveal Jisu with the first dress, a long, light and flowy summer dress with a flower pattern, Ryujin smiled. “Looks really pretty.” 

“Right? Summer is approaching, so I guess I should take it.” 

Jisu closed the curtain and Ryujin waited again. Jisu was so pretty she was sure she would look good in anything she put on. 

But when the curtain opened again and Jisu showed the tight, knee length red dress, Ryujin could barely stop her eyes from widening. 

“How does it look?” Jisu asked, looking down at herself. 

“Great. Amazing, actually. You look... beautiful.” 

“Do you think I should take it?” 

“Yes. I-I mean, if you want to, of course. You’re the one that has to like it.” 

“I do like it. What about this?” Jisu asked, putting on the leather jacket, and leaned against the frame, stuffing her hands in the pockets. 

Ryujin gulped, and in need for words, she nodded vigorously and gave her two thumbs up. Jisu giggled and closed the curtain again. Ryujin took a deep breath, taking a hand to her chest. Jisu was doing it on purpose, wasn’t she? 

No, she was trying clothes. Nothing flirty about it. And the smirk Jisu had on her lips as she closed the curtain was Ryujin’s imagination. 

“Saw anything you liked?” Jisu asked when she was ready to pay. 

“No, not really.” 

It wasn’t entirely true, but she didn’t even want to try that amazing constellation pattern shirt she saw because she shouldn’t be spending money on clothes when she didn’t need them, and risk Jisu saying she would pay for it. 

“Let’s go here.” Ryujin pulled Jisu inside the tech and gaming store. “Not that I need anything, but I like to check this store.” 

Her legs took her exactly where she, consciously or not, wanted to go. Her eyes shone, looking at the camera she dreamed of having in her hands. She could take pretty pictures with it, of pretty places, of her sister, her cats. Of Jisu. 

But she shook her head with a sad smile when she looked at the price, the still too high price for her to pay, at least anytime soon. Maybe in a few months, if she kept earning the same amounts, and when she’s done paying the debts to the loan sharks. But if she was to take the shady business down, how would she have enough money for all of that? 

Ryujin put the camera down, and turned, leaving her dream behind. She was doing the right thing, fighting for justice. 

After visiting a few more stores they wanted, and getting the mocha bread Ryujin promised she would, they decided to leave the mall. 

“Ryujin,” Jisu called. “Can you take a picture of me? It’s such a beautiful day.” 

“Hm? Sure.” 

Jisu handed Ryujin her phone and walked a few steps ahead, turning and blinding Ryujin with a smile. Ryujin positioned the phone, adjusted the lighting and the framing, and snapped a few pics as Jisu changed her poses. 

“Do they look good?” Jisu asked as she walked back to her. 

“I think so. If they don’t, I can take more.” Ryujin handed her phone back. 

Jisu wowed. “They’re great! Thank you so much, Ryujin. I didn’t know you were so good.” 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” 

“No, it is! I think I’m firing Yeji as my photographer and hiring you instead.” Jisu giggled, elbowing Ryujin. 

“Poor Yeji, don’t make her unemployed!” 

Jisu laughed, her eyes turning into crescent moons. The best way Ryujin found to deal with the remark, with the perfect outcome. 

“I’ll take you home,” Ryujin said as they walked to the bus station. 

“And I’ll accept it this time.” 

“Okay, good.” 

“Oh?” Jisu irked an eyebrow at her. “What if I said no?” 

Ryujin pouted. “Don’t you want me to?” 

“I do.” 

Ryujin should have remembered how blunt Jisu was, and that she would have no problem admitting that. But she forgot, and now she could only let her lips stretch into a smile. 

They hopped up the bus and it was more crowded than they anticipated. 

“Rush hour.” Ryujin sighed, going ahead and trying to walk past the people standing. She felt a hand on hers, and couldn’t help but peek back, at Jisu gripping on her hand and trying to stay close. Ryujin closed her hand around hers and squeezed back, walking to the far back, where it wasn’t so bad. 

“Sorry, I should have just called an Uber,” Jisu said, trying to balance herself. 

“It’s okay.” 

The bus halted, and before Jisu could lose her balance, Ryujin swung her arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards her own body. Her right hang grasped hard on the railing to support the both of them, and Jisu gripped on her jacket. 

None said a thing, and Ryujin just hoped her heart drumming her chest wasn’t loud enough for Jisu to hear it, but she was too close. Ryujin had just watched a cliché romantic comedy, and yet, she was the one living such a scene. 

A seat just emptied as a lady got off. 

“Sit,” Jisu said. 

“No, you sit.” 

“But you’re probably more tired than I am.” 

Ryujin held on her arms and gently pushed her down on the seat. Jisu looked up at her, a cute pout on her lips. 

“I’m fine,” Ryujin said. 

She wouldn’t deny she was enjoying having Jisu so close, but Jisu’s comfort was more important. And she was still close. So close that Jisu leaned her head against her stomach. Ryujin looked down, at how Jisu kept her eyes closed. And it shouldn’t be a problem if Ryujin rested her hand on her shoulder... right? 

She did, and Jisu didn’t move an inch. Instead, a smile appeared on her lips, one Ryujin could perfectly see. 

The ride continued in silence. Ryujin probably didn’t notice her hand caressing Jisu’s hair by now, because it felt so... natural to do so. And again, Jisu didn’t say a word, didn’t move. 

“I think we’re almost there,” Ryujin said, recognizing the neighborhood. 

Jisu opened her eyes and looked around. “We are.” 

“Did you fall asleep?” 

“Not quite, but I was so relaxed I didn’t even notice we were already here. There are more empty seats now, you could have sat.” 

And interrupt that moment? “No, I was fine, really.” 

They hopped down the bus and Ryujin walked her home, pushing the memories of what she had done there to the back of her mind and focusing on the moment. 

“Do you have to go pick Yuna up?” Jisu asked as they arrived. 

Ryujin checked her phone, and she had a message from her sister, saying she was already home, and her friends were still with her. 

“No, she’s home already.” 

“Then come in.” 

Ryujin irked a brow. 

“Let’s cook dinner.” 

“You mean you want me to cook dinner for you?” 

“You could put it that way.” 

Ryujin chuckled. Spending more time with Jisu? In her house? “Sure.” 

She followed her inside, and again, ignored the images popping in her mind from the first time she’d been there. Of Jisu’s face, of the terror in her eyes- 

“You okay?” Jisu asked as they stepped inside. 

“Yes.” 

“Pretend it’s the first time you’re here. Don’t think about it.” 

“Don’t you remember that every time you get home?” 

“I don’t. And you said that we wouldn’t talk about this today. It’s still the day for us to have fun.” 

Ryujin closed her eyes for a second while taking a deep breath. “You’re right. Let me see what’s in your fridge for me to cook.” 

Jisu beamed and lead the way. She opened the fridge and Ryujin peeked inside. 

“I don’t usually eat home, so...” Jisu said after a judging look from Ryujin. “I have cup noodles, though.” 

“I guess I can pimp up those cup noodles with what you have here.” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

“You can go watch tv or whatever you want while I cook. It won’t take long.” 

“I wanna stay here and watch you. Is it okay?” 

“Hm, yeah.” 

Jisu gave her a thumbs up and sat down. Ryujin turned to the fridge again to take the necessary ingredients (a couple eggs and some green onions). She could feel Jisu’s eyes on her back, while she worked on their meal. She really was cooking in Jisu’s house, just the both of them. The thought made her smile, but she shrugged it off and focused on her task again. 

A mere ten minutes later, and Ryujin had two beautiful bowls of ramen on the table. 

“These are cup noodles?!” Jisu gasped, taking in the scent of the food. 

“Yep. Just boil an egg, chop some green onions, add soy sauce, and voila. You have much better noodles.” 

“And it tastes so much better. You’re amazing, Ryujin.” 

“It’s really nothing special, but thank you. Hey, can I steal a beer?” 

Jisu finished munching and stared at her. “Am I a bad influence if I let a minor drink?” 

Ryujin rolled her eyes and stood up to grab a can from the fridge. 

“Bring one for me!” 

The so satisfying sound of the cans opening echoed, then their large gulps, and the slurping of noodles again. 

They enjoyed their meal in silence, and Ryujin remembered she had to send Yuna a message saying she would be going home later than expected. _Have fun with Jisu_ _:)_ , was what she answered, clearly teasing her. She didn’t want to finish her meal, because, what if Jisu only wanted to have dinner and then she wanted to rest? That meant Ryujin had to go home, but she wanted to spend even more time with her, even though it was selfish, and she had already spent a whole day- 

“Wanna go watch TV?” Jisu asked. 

“Sure.” 

Jisu wouldn’t ask that if she didn’t want Ryujin to stay, right? Ryujin washed the bowls in a second and followed Jisu, sitting next to her while she turned the TV on and skipped through the channels. But the silence was bothering Ryujin. 

“Thank you for today.” 

Jisu faced her, ignoring the tv. “What for?” 

“I had real fun. I don’t remember the last time I smiled and laughed so much.” 

“I’m glad you followed my advice then.” 

And with that simple sentence, Ryujin smiled again. “I am too. I’ll try to do it more often.” 

Ryujin looked at her, finding Jisu staring at her with her lips apart. 

“It’s so cute,” Jisu mumbled. 

“What?” 

“When you smile, the dimples in your cheeks. Cat dimples.” 

“C-Cat dimples?” Ryujin avoided Jisu’s eyes still on her face, feeling her ears warming up. 

She tried to focus on the random show playing on the TV, but she could feel her body slightly trembling. 

“Ryujin,” Jisu called, too soft. 

She looked back at her, her voice a command. Jisu’s eyes wandered down, staring somewhere at Ryujin’s face, and her hand reached forward. Jisu's fingertips touch her jawline, and her thumb graze over the corner of her lips. 

“It scarred, didn’t it?” Jisu asked, not taking her eyes off it. 

“The cut? I think so.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” 

“Don’t you remember that every time you look in the mirror?” Jisu met her eyes. 

“No. Sometimes, but I would choose having my body full of scars than seeing you going through that.” 

The words flew out of Ryujin’s mouth before she could think about them, but now it’s done. It wasn’t a lie. 

“B-But we did say we wouldn’t talk about this today, right?” Ryujin said, in case Jisu asked something else, and she didn’t want to explain what she had just said. 

Jisu nodded and drove her attention back to the TV, just like Ryujin did. 

But maybe Ryujin was the one that didn’t want the conversation to die down. 

“I’m happy that we have a good relationship with each other.” 

The lack of an answer made Ryujin look at Jisu, and again, she was already staring at Ryujin. 

“Relationship?” 

“I-I mean, despite everything that happened, we still... get along and... we’re friends, like you said. We had a really crazy start, but look at us now, right?” 

Silence settled in again. Jisu moved in her seat, turning her body to Ryujin. She kept her expression unreadable for Ryujin, lips a thin line, eyes fixed on her face. 

“I know I said that, but what if... what if I wanted to say something else?” Jisu asked, her eyes going down once again. 

“Something... else?” 

Jisu opened her mouth, but no sound came. Instead, her hand reached out again to rest on her jawline. Ryujin flinched, her eyes widening for a second. 

“I can see it in your eyes. In the way you look at me,” Jisu said, approaching, slowly, as if asking for permission. “I’m just the same, Ryujin.” 

Should she? Should Ryujin let Jisu do what had been in her mind, what she most desired? 

Ryujin looked away, gripping on Jisu’s wrist and pulling it away from her face. 

“Oh, did I go too far? I’m sorry, I thought-” Jisu recoiled, her tone dead serious. 

“Not at all. You’re right... about what you said. It’s just...” 

“You think we shouldn’t. You think you don’t deserve it.” 

“Yes.” 

“Ryujin.” Jisu sighed, and it hurt on Ryujin’s chest. “I don’t resent you. I don’t hate you, much for the opposite. What happened is in the past. Why can’t you forgive yourself?” 

“How am I supposed to do that?” 

“How am I supposed to forgive myself when I know I was the reason you got that scar? I was the reason why you got yourself in this?” 

“We talked about this, it was not your fault.” 

“Exactly. It was not your fault either.” 

Ryujin met her eyes, which looked strangely melancholic. 

“You are worthy of love and happiness. Please, don’t let the past stop you from being happy.” 

Being happy... What would make Ryujin happy now? 

She knew it, better than ever. All it took was to let Jisu come closer again, letting her hand rest on her neck, letting her eyes close. 

Letting their lips meet. 

Ryujin didn’t quite know what she was doing, so, she let Jisu lead, and she followed, awkwardly moving her lips against Jisu’s. It felt so tender, just like the touch on her skin. Ryujin didn’t know since when her hand was on Jisu’s waist. All the sensations were overwhelming, yet, Ryujin felt like her mind was empty and she didn’t have control over her body. Her hand creeped under Jisu’s top, to the small of her back, to pull her closer. 

But instead, Jisu hopped on Ryujin’s lap, a leg in each side of her body. And not giving Ryujin time to process it, Jisu aimed for her neck, making Ryujin close her eyes and hold her breath. Her fingers dug on Jisu’s sides, an attempt to suppress the groan in the back of her throat. Jisu went back to kiss her lips, and Ryujin could barely keep up with her now. It was rough, but passionate. 

Nails scratched Ryujin’s exposed waist, leaving a trail of electricity along the way to her abs. But when Jisu’s hands traveled up, snaking under her crop top, Ryujin pulled away. 

“Jisu...” she breathed out, looking down, feeling her face hot. 

“Sorry.” 

Ryujin looked up, but took her time to take in the fact that Jisu was sitting on her lap, with that top that showed her shoulders and collarbones, and good god, she was absolutely beautiful. 

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” Jisu asked. 

“No, it’s just that... I-I never...” 

“It’s okay.” Jisu got off her lap, sitting next to her again. 

“I’m sorry,” Ryujin mumbled. 

“No, you don’t have to apologize.” 

Ryujin nodded. “S-So...” 

“Yeah? Just say whatever’s on your mind.” 

“I think a lot about you. Not because of what brought us together, I just... think about you.” 

“I do too.” 

Ryujin met her eyes and couldn’t help but smile. “I tried not to, because I thought I shouldn’t, and I couldn’t, but... then I thought, why? What was I doing so wrong? Maybe I thought I was taking advantage of you, and your kindness, but then you also seemed to want to be with me and spend time with me, and you said you went to the bar that night to see me, and I didn’t know what to do anymore.” 

Jisu chuckled, and Ryujin frowned. “Sorry, you’re just so cute. You’re not taking advantage of anything, and it’s not wrong to feel things. Yes, I went that night to the bar because I wanted to see you. And yes, I also want to be with you, spend time with you, and... well, do what we just did.” 

There was this something else behind Jisu’s smirk, behind her eyes, that Ryujin was both scared and eager to explore. 

“Then, can we... kiss again?” Ryujin asked, her hand already on its way to cup Jisu’s cheek. 

Jisu didn’t need to answer, because she was already closing her eyes, waiting for Ryujin to be the one closing the space between their lips this time. 

And she was more than glad to do so. 

\--- 

It felt as if life had gained a new color. 

Even being at the bar seemed more fun. All Ryujin had to do was think about Jisu. Because now, she didn’t have to fight an internal battle every time she did. She didn’t have to feel guilty, or ashamed of having such thoughts. 

“Ryujin.” Boss Park’s voice sounded behind her, making her turn. “Care to come with me for a second?” 

But even focusing with all her might on Jisu, she could not feel at ease when these times came. That’s right, he was expecting news about Jisu’s brother. 

She nodded and followed him to this office, sitting in her chair, waiting for him to do the same and ask the question she knew was coming. 

“What news do you have for me?” 

“Unfortunately, not much.” She started, keeping her face as serious as she could. He frowned. “But I managed to find out her brother is overseas. He ran away.” 

Boss Park sighed. “It was expected. After doing something like that, it would only be stupid of him to stay in the country.” 

“Sir, can I ask what happened? Maybe with that information, I can know better what to ask, or how to ask. Maybe she knows and she’s lying, so everything could help me to get what we need.” 

Her hands shook so hard under the table she had to grasp them together. He stared at her, and she stared back, trying to convey in her eyes that he could trust her. 

“Maybe you’re right,” he said, and Ryujin almost sighed in relieve. “All I know is that he was involved in illegal street races, and he caused the death of one of the racers. There are claims that he sabotaged his opponent’s car and it caused the accident leading to his death. The case was closed as an accident, but the young man’s family wants revenge on him. That’s why they came to me.” 

Ryujin’s eyes fogged and blurred. She blinked and nodded. “I see. Yes, it would be stupid indeed for him to stay in the country if he’s running away.” 

“Exactly. Do not reveal this info to her, but use it in your favor. You can go back to work now. I’m counting on you, Ryujin.” 

Ryujin stood up, using all her remaining strength not to collapse right there. She gave him a quick bow and exited the room, turning to the toiled instead. 

She didn’t know how many more times she had to run to puke after having a conversation with boss Park. But there was nothing that could prepare her for what she had just heard. Jisu’s brother was the reason someone died in a car accident. 

Just like her own mother. 

Now, now that she could feel happy when she thought about Jisu. Now, she had to know this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wrote this chapter the day THAT Paris et Itzy episode was released, where Ryujin tells Lia "I’m happy that we have a good relationship with each other", and I thought that same second I NEED TO ADD THIS IN MY FIC sdgnbsdigubsdgiusdgpa 
> 
> And, well, sorry about the cliffhanger :DDD


	7. Sooner than expected

It had nothing to do with Jisu. She was not her brother, and there was no reason to hold her accountable for what her brother did. And if Jisu was telling the truth, which she liked to believe was the case, she didn’t even have a clue of what he’d done. 

Ryujin told herself this over and over again, but she couldn’t not remember it whenever Jisu popped up in her mind, _which was once every couple minutes._

She had to tell Jisu. No matter how hard it could be, she had to know. No matter what would happen next, Ryujin had come so far, she couldn’t afford this to ruin everything she had sacrificed and worked so hard for. 

But first, she would put up her strongest mask in front of Yuna, make her breakfast, and take her to school. And when Ryujin was back home, despite her body aching and the fatigue weighing down on her, she couldn’t sleep. 

She went back downstairs and put on her favorite movie on the DVD. Watching _The perks of being a wallflowe_ r always made her cry, but it never failed to make her feel better. So, after cleaning her eyes, she laid down again and grabbed her phone. 

_[_ _Ryujin_ _]_   
_Let’s meet up asap._

She texted her before closing her eyes and hoping she could now fall asleep and not have nightmares. 

\--- 

Ryujin tried to distract herself on her phone, but her feet kept drumming the floor as she waited for the bell to ring. She was glad Yuna was still at floorball practice and she could have the house free, because she couldn’t even imagine how that conversation was going to go. 

The bell rang at last, and Ryujin bolted from the couch. She opened the door and there she was. 

“Hi,” Jisu said, and it didn’t matter what happened, Jisu would always manage to rip a smile from Ryujin’s lips. 

“Hey.” Ryujin stepped aside, letting Jisu step inside. 

They sat, and Ryujin couldn’t lift her head. 

“Is Yuna around?” 

But the question made her meet Jisu’s eyes. 

“No.” 

“Then, can I...?” Jisu approached, her eyes already fixed on Ryujin’s lips. 

Even if for a second, Ryujin would allow her mind to empty from everything that had been bothering her and savor the moment. Savor Jisu’s lips on hers, and the gentle touch on her neck. 

Ryujin pulled away but kept her eyes closed, and rested her forehead on Jisu’s, her thumb drawing circles on her cheek. 

“What happened?” Jisu asked. 

“I asked my boss what happened to your brother.” 

The warmth against her forehead and neck disappeared, a cold chill running down instead at the way Jisu looked at her when she opened her eyes. 

“Did he tell you?” 

“I wasn’t expecting him to, but he did.” 

Jisu said nothing, but her eyes screamed anticipation. There was really no easy way to say what Ryujin had to say, and it didn’t matter how many times she could have prepared. It was still going to be hard. 

“He was involved in street races, and...” Ryujin took one, two, three deep breaths. 

“And? Please Ryujin, just spit it out.” Jisu grabbed her hands, squeezing them hard. 

“Someone died.” 

The strength around Ryujin’s hands disappeared. 

“What do you mean?” 

“He sabotaged his opponent’s car.” 

Ryujin forced her head to rise, to look at Jisu. Her face was blank, not an emotion transparent. 

“He wouldn’t,” she said, her lips barely moving. 

“It’s what my boss told me.” 

“That’s impossible. Junsu, he... He would never do that.” 

"What if he did?” 

Jisu’s eyebrows twitched. “What are you trying to say?” 

“Maybe it wasn’t his intention, but what if-” 

“He wouldn’t do that!” Jisu’s voice rose. 

Ryujin’s heart clenched at the pain in Jisu’s voice and eyes, but she couldn’t stop her hands from balling, and the rage bubbling inside her. 

“We can never know.” 

“That’s right. But I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that he didn’t.” 

“But if, _if_ , he did... someone died, Jisu. On the streets. Because of fucking street races.” 

Ryujin fought her hardest against the memories, the images she had never seen but her mind made sure to show her. 

“I remember what you told me,” Jisu said, her voice as soothing as ever. “About your mother.” 

It was not the time for that. That wasn’t about Ryujin, or what happened to her mother, or her past. But she couldn’t just forget it. 

“And I’m sorry, Ryujin. But not all people are the same.” 

“I know. I am sorry. I want to believe that as much as you do.” 

Jisu fetched her phone from her bag and typed fast. 

“What are you doing?” 

“I’m telling him I know what happened.” 

“W-Wait! You’re not supposed to know about this.” 

“I don’t care. Maybe he’ll answer me if he knows that I know about it. Also, I need to hear it from him. His version of whatever happened.” 

Ryujin didn’t answer. Jisu had all the right in the world to hear it from him, if he eventually answered her. Jisu tossed her phone aside and turned to Ryujin again. 

“What now?” Ryujin asked. 

“Now we wait.” 

A sigh escaped Ryujin’s lips, her body sinking into the couch. Byullie jumped to her side and meowed at her, rubbing his head on her arm. 

“What is it, cutie? No food?” Ryujin scratched the fur behind his ears. “Wait just a second, alright?” 

Jisu nodded. The second Ryujin stood up, Byullie jumped down the couch and ran to the kitchen. Ryujin giggled at his impatience, and rolled her eyes when she noticed that only the center of the bowl didn’t have food. 

“You silly cat,” Ryujin mumbled with a small smile as she rearranged the food in the bowl and watched as Byullie now ate the food, even though it was already there. “But I love you.” Ryujin gave a long stroke on his fur, from his head to the tip of his tail. 

When Ryujin came back to the living room, her pace slowed when she noticed Dallie in Jisu’s lap. Jisu was so immersed in playing with him, she didn’t notice Ryujin approaching. Ryujin fetched her phone from her pocket and snapped a good picture, not noticing the big smile on her lips. A couple more pictures later, and Jisu finally noticed her presence. 

“Dallie normally doesn’t approach people, you know.” Ryujin plopped next to her, joining Jisu in petting him. 

“Well, he literally jumped to my lap. I didn’t even call him.” 

“He trusts you.” 

Jisu irked an eyebrow. “What did I do for him to trust me?” 

“Cats are smart. He knows you’re trustworthy.” 

“Oh, thank you, the both of you. Now, Ryujin, show me the pics.” 

Ryujin gulped. “Hm?” 

“I know you took pics, show me.” 

Ryujin pouted at her. 

“You’re cute, but that won’t work.” Jisu pinched her cheek. 

Giving up, Ryujin handed Jisu her phone. Jisu smiled, swiping to see the other ones. 

“They’re great. Send them to me.” Jisu handed Ryujin’s phone back. 

“They’re just-” 

“Doesn’t matter, you take amazing pictures, no matter if they’re just me with your cat.” 

Warm crawled behind Ryujin’s ears, as she sent Jisu the pics. “Thank you.” 

Jisu grabbed her phone and smiled, and Ryujin peeked to see she was still staring at the pics she just took. Did Jisu like them that much? 

But then Jisu’s smile faded. 

“What is it?” Ryujin asked. 

“Junsu answered.” 

Ryujin let out a small gasp, letting Jisu read the message. Jisu’s eyes started shining, and soon, she let her head fall to Ryujin’s chest, and when a sob interrupted the silence, Ryujin hugged and squeezed her body against hers. 

“Don’t hold anything back,” Ryujin soothed against her hair, close to her ear. 

Jisu nodded, clinging onto Ryujin’s sweater. More sobs echoed in the silence, as Ryujin caressed her hair. Jisu had always been strong, and never broke down despite everything going on around her. So, this time, she was the one that was going to be there for Jisu, and not the opposite, like it always had been so far. 

Ryujin let Jisu take her time. She pulled away and cleaned her eyes, sniffing. 

“So?” Ryujin urged. 

Jisu grabbed her phone again, cleared her throat, and read. “I didn’t do it, I swear, please believe me, sis. I admit I was involved in the race, but I didn’t do anything they’re blaming me of. I’m sorry for not answering before, I’m sorry you got into this and got hurt because of me, I’m sorry for being a disappointment. I’m scared and I don’t know what to do.” 

“Where is he?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“But if he answered you, it means he’s safe, right?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Ryujin sighed, and more tears rolled down Jisu’s eyes. Ryujin cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears with her thumbs. 

“What do we do, Ryujin?” Jisu let out an ugly sob, that felt more like a punch to Ryujin’s chest, stronger than any physical punch one could land on her. “It’s like up until now, nothing felt like it was really happening. I’ve always been one to keep my cool no matter what, but I just can’t do it anymore.” 

“It’s okay to feel things. Don’t feel like you have to hide what’s going on inside your head and keep your cool all the time. Your brother’s missing and scared, of course you have the right to be worried.” Ryujin smiled lightly as she rubbed Jisu’s temples. “Let’s think. If he didn’t do it, someone was trying to set him up. The ones after him are not the police, the case was closed as an accident. The dead guy’s family are the ones that are after him, seeking revenge. That’s why they went to my boss. So, he’s not in trouble with the police, but has people after him. Tell him this, and ask him where he is, and what he thinks could have happened, or who tried to set him up.” 

Jisu nodded and proceeded to type on her phone again, turning it to Ryujin when she was done. 

“What if he doesn’t answer again?” Jisu said after pressing the send button. 

“He already did, and he will. He knows you’re trying to help him.” 

“Even if he does... What now? What are we supposed to do now?” 

Ryujin stared at her, at Jisu’s shining eyes. “I don’t know.” 

“This was all a bad idea. I’m sorry Ryujin, I should have never made you do all this.” 

“Jisu,” Ryujin called as soft as she could, holding her face just as softly. “You didn’t make me do anything. I agreed with you, because what we are doing is the right thing. I can’t really tell you what’s gonna happen now, but I know everything will be fine.” 

Jisu showed a small smile. “It feels weird hearing that coming from you.” 

“Yah.” Ryujin pinched her cheek, making Jisu giggle. “I know I’m not the most positive person, but I’m trying. It pains me to see you like this.” 

In the following silence, Jisu rested her hand on Ryujin’s neck, scratching on the roots of her hair behind her ear. She approached and kissed Ryujin’s lips, a cute, quick peck. Then another one, and another, making Ryujin a giggling mess. Jisu buried her face in Ryujin’s neck, and she could feel her warm breath on her skin. 

“Thank you, Ryujinie. For being in this with me.” 

Ryujin’s heart thumped harder on her chest with the nickname. 

“I-I should be the one thanking you. You’re the one that decided to help me, to get me out of this, without even knowing me.” 

“And I’m so glad I got to know you. Despite how I did, and... everything.” 

“We don’t have to associate all of this to us, and our feelings. It’s not fair for us.” 

“I agree. I always thought if it was so wrong to think about you like this. Like, if we had met under different circumstances, it would be normal and feel right. Then, why couldn’t it still feel right?” 

“I felt the exact same.” 

Jisu pulled away, just enough for them to look at each other, and for Jisu to kiss her again. 

“I’m sorry every time we’re together it’s so talk about it and be worried and wonder how all of this will turn out.” 

“Let’s keep our hopes up that everything will be fine and all of this is will be over soon, and then we can officially put everything behind out backs and live our lives as we want.” 

Ryujin nodded and was about to hug her tighter when Jisu’s phone rang. Jisu mouthed an apology and grabbed her phone. Ryujin waited for her to read it, not needing to ask if it was Junsu. 

“I know who’s after me,” Jisu read, “that’s why I can’t go back to Korea, or else they’ll find me as soon as a put a foot there. I’m hanging on, I just don’t know what to do. I can’t be running away all my life when I know I’m innocent. But I can’t let you stay there and get used as a pawn to get to me. I would lose it if you ended up getting even more involved. I don’t know what to do with myself and I have no idea how I can protect you. Is there any excuse you can make up to go back to mom and dad without letting them know what’s going on?” 

They stared at each other in silence, waiting for the other to say something. 

“Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t come back until we are done,” Ryujin broke the silence at last. 

“My parents can get him a good lawyer, and maybe if he comes back and we take this to the police and explain everything, they can help us.” 

“But if he does, he will be punished for the street races.” 

Jisu sighed, looking at her phone once again. “But even if we take the shady business down, the ones after him will keep looking for him. They will not stop until they get revenge.” 

Ryujin didn’t know what to answer to that. Jisu took her hands to her face with another long sigh. 

“I think he’s right,” Ryujin said. “That you should go back to your parents. To Canada.” 

“What? No, I will not do that.” 

“You’ll be safe there. I also can’t let you get hurt. I don’t know what I would do with myself if something happened to you, so it would be better if you go and I will take care of--” 

“What if something happens to _you_?” Jisu interrupted her. “How would _I_ feel if something happened to you? I got you in this mess, I would never abandon you here.” 

“Think about your brother as well. If something happens and I can’t protect you, he can’t as well. Imagine how he will feel.” 

“I’m making this decision, Ryujin. And I’m staying. We started this together, we’re ending this together.” 

There wasn’t anything else Ryujin could add to support her opinion. 

“Let’s think, then. Of how to end this,” Ryujin said. 

“Thank you for trusting in me once more.” She kissed her cheek. “Do you have any ideas?” 

Ryujin leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. All the shady stuff happened exactly where she worked, so, what could they do? Ryujin’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to come up with a plan, an idea, something. 

Then, she straightened herself and looked at Jisu. “I think we’re complicating everything.” 

Jisu irked an eyebrow at her. “How so?” 

“All we need is for the police to catch them in action. If I call the police to the club on a night I know someone will be there to get beaten, they’ll easily have proof to arrest my boss.” 

“But... the police will find out about you.” 

“I know. That’s why my boss is not expecting it. He thinks he has me in his hand because he’s blackmailing me with reporting my living situation to the police. He’d never expect me to go to them.” 

“Ryujin...” Jisu grabbed her hands, and her eyes grew red again. “You can be arrested because you’re working illegally.” 

“I don’t care. I got myself in this situation, there’s no way we can bring it down without the police finding out about me.” 

More tears ran down Jisu’s eyes as she pulled Ryujin into a hug. 

“I’m gonna get you a good lawyer, everything will be fine, okay?” Jisu sobbed. 

Ryujin cracked a smile, caressing her hair. “Even if you didn’t, everything would still be fine. And you promised you would provide for Yuna until she’s an adult. Will you still do it if anything happens to me?” 

“Of course. For her and for you.” 

Ryujin cupped her cheeks and kissed her lips. “Thank you, Jisu. I’ll try and find out when I will have a job, and we’ll act then. Tell your brother to stay where he is. If everything goes well, this might end sooner than we expected.” 

\--- 

Being at the bar brought now even more anxiety than it ever had. Now that they had a plan, Ryujin knew she needed to act. But how? Ask her boss directly? She didn’t want to give him any reasons to suspect what they wanted to do. Maybe if she got an excuse to ask? 

Ryujin pretended she didn’t see the man at the counter, staring at his empty glass, probably waiting for a refill, and checked her phone. Jisu hadn’t answered her in a while. Maybe she was studying? It was not like they were talking about something important, but chatting with her about whatever helped Ryujin keep her mood up. 

“Ryujin.” 

She turned, her body stiffening at the sight of boss Park. “Yes?” 

“Come with me.” 

_Shit, a job?!_ She stuffed her phone into her pocket, wishing Jisu had been answering her. But calling the police now would be no use. They wouldn’t arrive in time. 

She followed him to his office and sat, waiting for him to do the same. 

“I have a surprise for you tonight,” he said with his unsettling smile. 

“A surprise?” 

“It’s waiting for you in our special room.” 

Ryujin frowned, anxiety prickling under her skin. She didn’t answer, and waited for him to hand her the mask and hoodie he always did, so she could go downstairs. But instead, he stood up. 

“I’ll accompany you tonight.” 

He stood by the opened door. Ryujin stood up without a word. 

“Go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.” 

Ryujin glanced at him, but obeyed, and lead the way downstairs, stopping in front of the door. 

“Where’s my mask?” she asked. 

“Oh, you won’t need it this time.” 

“Excuse me, sir, but you said my identity would always be safe.” 

Boss Park stared at her and let out a dry chuckle. “Don’t look so tense. This is not a job. You won’t be beating anyone tonight. So, go ahead.” He motioned to the door. 

She eyed him first. He kept his smile on, and nodded at her. Ryujin took her shaking hand to the doorknob and hesitated. She couldn’t put a finger on what was going on, and what was waiting for her behind the door. So instead of letting her body be controlled by fear, she twisted the doorknob. 

The second the door opened, two pairs of menacing hands grabbed on each of Ryujin’s arms, but if felt like she couldn’t even be bothered by it, when she took in the sight in front of her. 

The sight of Yuna and Jisu tied to their chairs, with a cloth on their mouths, and big, widened eyes at her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)))


	8. Teach you a lesson

The door shut behind her, and a hand rested on her shoulder. 

“I really didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice. I thought I could trust you, so I must confess I was really disappointed. I gave you work, money, I trusted you with this, and you repay me with betrayal?” He shook his head with a sigh. “The police will hear about the two underaged girls living alone by tomorrow, and needless to say you won’t be stepping in here again. I also don’t want to get in trouble for having an underaged working here, so, it never happened, alright? Consider that part a thank you for the stuff you did do for me.” He squeezed her shoulder harder. “Now, I know you could see this as an opportunity to report our activities here. That’s why I brought you here today, so you have a little glimpse of what might happen to you and the people you care about if you as much as try. I have a lot more up my sleeve that you haven’t seen, dear Ryujin.” 

He released her shoulder and straightened his clothes. “You know what you have to do, and don’t forget to get the info I need from the pretty face. Report to me when you’re finished.” 

The men nodded, and the door behind Ryujin opened. 

“Such a shame it has to be like this. You really had potential,” he said, before the door closed again. 

Ryujin’s brain shut down. Her body felt numb, like an out of body experience. Like she was relaxed instead, waiting for her mind to wake up and take her out of that nightmare. 

But when Yuna growled, with tears rolling down her eyes, and the man standing beside her slapped her face, Ryujin came down to her senses. 

“YUNA! JISU!” She trashed her body, but the grip on her arms only increased. “Let me go, you motherfuckers! Don’t you touch them! Beat me up instead!” 

Jisu shook her head, her voice coming all muffled and incomprehensible from the cloth over her mouth. The other man beside her pulled on her hair, while the other slapped Yuna’s face again, making her grunt in pain. 

“STOP!” Ryujin screamed, so loud and raw it hurt her throat. “JUST STOP!” 

A hand came to Ryujin’s mouth as she screamed and tried to release herself from their grip. Her vision went blurry with the tears that wanted to break free. 

The man took the cloth from Jisu’s mouth. “Where is he?” 

“I don’t know! I already said I don’t-” a slap across her face interrupted her sentence. 

Ryujin felt every vein in her body pulse with something she didn't remember feeling before. Not even with her father, or with the sharks. A rage so strong, so pure, it made her want to _kill_ them. She jerked her head back and with all the bubbling strength inside her, she sunk her teeth onto the man’s hand, so hard it hurt her jaw. He yelled in pain and retreated his hand, and Ryujin used the momentum to finally pull her arm away from his grip, elbowing his face and kicking his groin the next second and sending him to the ground. 

As soon as she turned to the other guy, his fist hit the side of her face, making her dizzy. 

“RYUJIN!” Jisu cried. 

“Shut up!” The man’s deep voice, alongside the sound of another slap echoing in the room, was all Ryujin needed to regain her posture. 

But now, it was her against three, as they abandoned Yuna and Jisu to fight her. Behind them, Ryujin could see Jisu trying to untie Yuna’s rope that tied her hands, and she knew what she had to do. 

“Now you wanna fight me, fucking cowards? You should be ashamed of yourselves, beating up innocent girls. How can you sleep at night?” 

One of them, the one that dared to touch Yuna, lunched at her, so slow and predictable. All Ryujin had to do was avoid it, grab on his arm, twist it, and with a loud and painful crack, he screamed in pain as his body fell to the ground. 

A strong pull on her shoulder made her turn around, and another punch made Ryujin stumble back. She blocked another one coming from the other guy, but couldn’t block or dodge a punch straight to her gut. She coughed, curling up with her arms around her stomach, but couldn’t afford to waste time thinking of how much it hurt. She wiped her lip clean in the back of her hand and straightened herself. 

“Is that all?” She teased them, seeing Yuna untying Jisu now through the corner of her eyes. 

The two still standing guys exchanged a look and charged at her. Ryujin ducked, and punched his gut as revenge from before, but it barely had any effect on him. He grabbed on her shoulder and punched her face again, stronger than any previous punch, one that made her stumble and fall to the ground. She blinked, feeling the world spinning around, and as she was about to try and get up again, a thud followed by a yelp and another thud sounded around her. Ryujin looked up and widened her eyes at the chair in Yuna’s hands, and the man on the ground. 

“Yuna,” she mumbled, her eyes finding Jisu standing beside her with her chair in her hands as well. 

“You bitches,” the man that still stood gritted his teeth, and before he could take even a step, Yuna launched her chair at him, but he was fast to grab it, and with a strong push, he threw Yuna against Jisu, sending them both to the ground. 

“I told you,” Ryujin gritted through her teeth, finally finding the strength to stand up. “DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH THEM!” 

Ryujin took off in a run, grabbing on his collar and pushing him against the wall with a loud bang, and punched his face, one, two, three times. 

“Hey!” Jisu’s voice sounded behind Ryujin, making her look back, to Jisu punching the first man Ryujin took down, right in the middle of his face, throwing him off guard. 

“Ouch!” Jisu yelped, grabbing her right hand with her left. “I’ve always wanted to do that, though.” 

Ryujin took advatange of his momentary dizziness to grab on the arm of the one she still had against the wall and turned. With a single, strong push, she sent him flying over her shoulder, hitting the other guy and sending them both to the ground, grunting in pain. 

Ryujin panted, eying the four men down, and then Jisu and Yuna. Their red, bruised faces, hurt so much more than the pain in her body. Tears fogged her eyes, and her legs threated to fail her, if it wasn’t for them to hold her. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.” Ryujin cried, hiding her face in her hands. 

“Ryujin, we need to get out of here and call the police,” Jisu said, urgency in her voice. 

“Can someone explain to me what the hell is happening?” Yuna asked. 

“I’m sorry, Yuna, I never wanted this to happen-” 

“Ryujin!” Jisu grabbed her hands, staring directly at her eyes. “We need to leave! This is not the time.” 

Ryujin’s eyes jumped between Jisu and Yuna. She sniffed and cleaned her face on her sleeve. “Let’s go.” 

She led the way and opened the door, going upstairs with them following her. As they reached the top, and her boss Park’s office door came to sight, she slowed down. 

“You two go to the bar, talk to Sooyoung, tell her to call the police. She’s going to ask questions, but convince her to just call the police as fast as she can,” Ryujin told them. 

“What about you? Aren’t you coming with us?” Jisu asked. 

“There’s something I need to do.” 

“Ryujin, what do you mean? What’s all this?” Yuna asked, more tears rolling down her eyes. 

Ryujin cupped her sister’s cheeks, wiped the tears away, and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I promise everything will be fine.” 

“Please, be safe,” Jisu said. 

Ryujin turned to Jisu. “Please take care of Yuna.” 

Jisu nodded, grabbed Yuna’s hand, and went on ahead. 

She stopped in front of her boss’ door and took a deep breath, letting her rage fuel the gauge of her courage. She knocked twice, and after the affirmative answer, she opened the door. 

Boss Park rose his head from his papers, and his eyes went huge as they met Ryujin’s. He quickly went on his feet as Ryujin closed the door behind her, her eyebrows drawn together and her jaw clenched. 

“Hey, boss. Didn’t expect to see me so soon?” 

“Ryujin.” 

“You really had the audacity to go after what’s most precious to me. Are you proud? To hurt my sister? And Jisu, _again?_ ” 

“It’s my job to teach people who need a lesson.” 

Ryujin cracked a chuckle. “How ironic. I’m here to do the exact same.” 

“Do you want to beat me up? Go ahead. Who do you think will have the most trouble next?” 

“I’m already in a lot of trouble with the police. Doesn’t really matter much anymore. So what if I beat the fuck out of you?” 

He smiled, the same disgusting smile that made Ryujin want to punch his face the most. 

“I’m impressed you managed to get out of that room. I thought four men was enough, but I guess I underestimated you. You know, you could have such a promising future with me. If you only kept cooperating with me, you would earn tons of money, and give yourself and your sister a good life. Wasn’t that what you wanted?” 

“Yes.” Ryujin took a step closer, and he took one back. “But not like this. I’ll pay for what I did, and start again.” 

“What about your sister?” 

“Please, do not pretend to care when you just ordered grown ass men to beat her up.” 

He laughed again. “Truly, I intend no harm to her. But in order for you to learn with your mistakes, it had to be-” 

“SHUT UP!” Ryujin pushed the desk forward, making him take another step back and hit the wall. She jumped over the desk and grabbed on the collar of his shirt, pushing him deeper into the wall. “Do not speak of her or Jisu ever again.” 

His slender eyes were fixed on Ryujin’s, his expression as calm as ever, and it got even more on Ryujin’s nerves. 

“Always so reckless,” he said, smiling again, and Ryujin felt something prickling on her side. “You should be more careful.” 

She looked down, and her eyes went huge at the small knife pressed lightly at her sweater. 

“You will step away, calmly, and will not attempt to do anything.” 

Fear took over Ryujin’s body, so she did as told. First, she released the hold on his collar, then, slowly, took a step back, holding her arms at her head’s height. He walked past her, taking his small, calm steps, and turned to her. 

“In the end, you’re just a scared little girl. Have fun with the police.” 

As he turned and took another step closer to the door, something else ignited in Ryujin’s body. She let the sudden wave of courage take over her frozen legs and dashed towards him. She grabbed on his shirt, yanking him back. 

But as he turned and swung his arm up, a slash echoed in the room, followed by a shrill from Ryujin as a pain, sharp as nothing she had ever felt before, stung her left forearm. 

The sleeve of her sweater had been ripped, and from it, blood oozed. She took quick, hoarse breaths as she gripped on her arm, and tears rolled free from her eyes. She shot her head up, and there he still stood, staring at it with widened eyes. And the second their eyes met, he turned and aimed for the door. 

But it didn’t matter what pain she felt on her body, Ryujin was not going to give up. She urged forward and gripped on his shirt again, but this time, with a loud growl, filled with pain and rage, and all the strength she had left, she swung him back. He was thrown to the ground like a ragged doll, and the knife escaped from his hand. Before he could reach for it, Ryujin kicked it to the back of the room, and kicked his side, before jumping on him with her knees pressed on his arms. She punched his face, even using the hand from her left, hurt arm, and more tears fell from her eyes. 

Ryujin froze for a second, as she could hear sirens at the distance. She blinked the tears away, looking straight into his eyes, and felt the corner of her lips raise. 

“I told you...” she spat, and raising her right fist as high as she could, balled with all her fury and justice, and sunk it on his face. “I was here to teach you a lesson.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the previous cliffhanger kekeke and I hope you liked this chapter! It was a bit violent but in the end, no one messes with Ryujin :)))
> 
> The next chapter will be the last one already :( But don't worry, everything will be explained! Thank you so much for reading this far and I hope you enjoy the last chapter ^^


	9. It had been a while

Ryujin squeezed Jisu’s hand on hers, as her eyes followed Yuna crossing the field. Only a couple minutes left for the game to be over, and both teams were tied – seven to seven. 

Yuna passed the ball to her teammate, who received it, but a player from the other team stole the ball from her stick and dashed forward. Yuna huffed, her face showing the exhaustion weighing on her body as she ran back to defend with her teammates. 

The girl from the other team tricked Yerim, and shot the ball with her stick, but their goalkeeper blocked. 

"YES, HYEJOO!" Ryujin shouted, almost scaring Jisu. "Sorry, I always get like this when I'm watching Yuna playing." 

"The game is almost over..." Jisu looked ahead at the big clock, showing less than a minute left. 

"Trust them." 

Hyejoo passed the ball to Yerim, who scanned the field for a second before successfully running past a player from the other team. She passed the ball to Yeojin, the girl Ryujin liked to call a midget, but was an excellent player in fact. Due to her small stature, she was super fast and swift, but even so, she found herself unable to run past two of the adversary players. She passed the ball back, to Chaewon, who received it immediately and passed it again to Yerim. 

"Yes! Yuna is free!" Ryujin couldn't keep quiet in her seat, her hands sweating with excitement. She quickly checked the time, and there were barely twenty seconds left. 

Yerim sprinted forward, and Yuna positioned herself at the front. A player extended out her stick, trying to block the pass from Yerim to Yuna, but she was too slow. Yuna received the ball, twirled with her stick, and it went so fast toward the goal that Ryujin couldn't even see it go past the goalkeeper. 

Horns sounded in the stadium, as the number for her team changed to eight. Ryujin jumped from her seat, pulling Jisu with her. 

"YES, YES! YUNA, MY SISTER, DID THAT!" 

Yuna ran to her teammates, who gathered at the field for a big group hug. Hyejoo, despite wearing all that heavy equipment, still managed to grab Yuna by her waist and lift her up. 

Seeing her sister and her team win and celebrate with those big, happy smiles, seeing her sister lift up the trophy, made Ryujin fall back to her seat with tears in her eyes. 

“She worked so hard for this,” she mumbled. 

“Awn, Ryujinie.” Jisu sat back as well, hugging her. “She did, and it paid off. They won, they’re the district champions.” 

“I’ll buy her the biggest pizza I can find.” 

Jisu laughed. “Yes, we should celebrate with everyone.” 

Ryujin nodded, and kept looking ahead, at her sister. Yuna met her eyes, and shot her that big, beautiful smile that meant the world to her, showing her the trophy, and Ryujin waved at her, before rushing to take her camera from her bag and snap a few pictures. 

Yes, the camera Ryujin always dreamed of having. Jisu had realized her passion and talent for photography, and even confessed that she saw Ryujin staring at the camera back at the mall the day they went to the movies, and it had been because of it that she asked her to take a couple pictures of her. Jisu ended up buying the camera for her, and she promised Jisu she would always take pretty pictures with it. Just like the one she just did, of Yuna raising the trophy in the air, with her teammates with their hands reached up at it. 

“I didn’t think this would get me so nervous,” Yeji said, making Jisu and Ryujin turn to the girl in the row behind them. 

“Yuna really is amazing.” Hyunjin gave her a thumbs up, as Heejin nodded and did the same. 

“Thank you, guys, for coming,” Ryujin said, and turned to Chaeryeong, who was awfully quiet. “Chaery, you there?” 

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” 

“Is everything alright?” Yeji asked, resting a hand on her leg. 

“Y-Yeah! I just spaced out.” 

Yeji nodded and went back to whatever Heejin, Hyunjin and Jisu were talking about. Ryujin kept her eyes on her, waiting for Chaeryeong to meet her stare, and when she finally did, Ryujin irked an eyebrow at her. 

“Why is your face red?” she whispered, pointing to Chaeryeong’s face. 

“W-What? Is it?” 

“Hm, yes. A lot.” 

“It’s just hot in here.” She fanned her face with her hand. 

Ryujin eyed Chaeryeong’s hand on her leg, where Yeji touched her a minute before. 

“Hot in here, or beside you?” Ryujin smirked. 

Chaeryeong widened her eyes. “S-Shut up, Ryujin!” 

Ryujin burst out laughing, leaning to Jisu’s side. 

“What? What’s funny? What did we miss?” Yeji looked at Ryujin and Chaeryeong. 

“Nothing, I just missed teasing Chaery.” Ryujin waved it away. “Let’s go outside? They’re gonna head back to the locker rooms and rest before leaving.” 

Ryujin stood up and grabbed Jisu’s hand, letting the other led the way. 

“Hey,” Ryujin said near Jisu’s ear. “Does Yeji like someone?” 

“Hm? Why the question?” 

“Does she or does she not?” 

“Not that I know about.” 

“Haven’t you been friends for a long time? She really didn't tell you anything, or talked about someone?” 

Jisu frowned. “She asked if Chaeryeong was coming to the game-” 

“Really?!” Ryujin whisper yelled. 

“Yeah. Now that you mention it...” 

“Just look ahead.” 

A couple steps ahead, Yeji talked animatedly about something, and Chaeryeong’s smile was more than obvious. _(_ _Heejin_ _and_ _Hyunjin_ _even more ahead in their own world.)_

“What? How could I have missed it?” Jisu gasped. 

“I hadn’t realized it before, but Chaery was super obvious just now. I teased about it and she got super shy, so I guess she has a fat crush on Yeji.” 

“Well, Yeji didn’t specifically ask if Heejin or Hyunjin would come, but did about Chaeryeong...” 

“I guess we have something to do.” 

They stepped outside the stadium and the sky was turning darker as the night approached. 

“I’m hungry,” Hyunjin said. “I’m gonna go get a hot dog.” 

“But we’re gonna have dinner in a bit!” Heejin yanked her back. 

“And? You think a hot dog will stop me from eating dinner?” 

“Of course not,” Jisu said behind her hand. 

Ryujin chuckled, watching Hyunjin drag her whining girlfriend to the food trucks. 

“Well, shall we go as well? They might take a bit,” Ryujin said, already on her way, pulling Jisu with her. 

“You’re doing this so they’re left together, aren’t you?” Jisu asked. 

Ryujin let out a mischievous giggle. “They’re friends after all, shouldn’t be awkward for them to be together.” 

They peeked over their shoulders, and Chaeryeong talked about something with excitement, making Yeji laugh so hard she even clapped along. 

Neither Ryujin nor Jisu were hungry, but just walking about helped pass the time until Yuna and her team made it outside. 

Ryujin’s phone rang, and a big smile stretched on her lips as she read the message from her sister. 

_[_ _Yuna_ _]_   
_I’m heading outside! Hope you’re there to receive me c:_

“Let’s get the others, they’re almost here!” 

Yeji and Chaeryeong were still a few steps behind them, but talking just the two of them. Now, where did Heejin and Hyunjin go? And there they were, still near the hot dog truck. Ryujin giggled as Heejin took a big bite on Hyunjin’s hot dog. 

“So much for having dinner soon.” Jisu shook her head. 

“It’s just a bite!” 

“The size of half of it, by the way.” Hyunjin rolled her eyes. 

“Let’s head back, they’re heading out now.” Ryujin led the way, her pace fast with the anticipation of seeing her sister. 

And as they approached the entrance, Yuna and her teammates were just leaving. The moment Yuna saw them, she took off in a run. Ryujin opened her arms and engulfed her sister in a big hug, lifting her up and twirling her around. 

Ryujin stopped and put her down before getting them both dizzy. She cupped Yuna’s puffed cheeks from how much she smiled and tip toed to kiss her forehead. 

“Congrats. You did it.” Ryujin hugged her again. 

“I couldn’t do it without you.” 

“No, the merit is all yours. You worked so hard for this, and you led the team to victory. You’re amazing, and I’m so proud of you.” 

“Thank you, sis.” Yuna pulled away to plant a kiss on her cheek. “How are you? Though day?” 

“I’m fine, and it’s not the time to talk about my day, but time to go celebrate!” 

They joined the rest of the group, Ryujin congratulating everyone and thanking for their hard work. “Now, I’m hungry, I bet everyone’s starving, and it’s time to celebrate. Who wants pizza?” 

Yuna gasped, raising her hand in the air. 

“Is it on you?” Hyejoo asked, earning a slap from both Yerim and Chaewon. 

“It’s on me, actually,” Jisu said. 

“What, no! At least let’s split.” Ryujin protested. 

“We’ll see. Now, let’s go? There’s a great pizza place nearby.” 

“Woohoo! Free pizza!” Yeojin punched the air, going on ahead all excited with Hyejoo. 

Chaewon and Yerim shook their head but followed, and then Ryujin and the others. 

The place was quite close, so they got there in no time, and after an almost heated argument about pineapple on pizza, they finally placed their order. 

“Seriously, who in their perfect mind would ask pineapple on their pizza?” Hyejoo asked. 

"I do! It’s great!” Yuna frowned. 

“I agree! We have superior taste buds.” Yeojin extended her arm from her seat to high five Yuna. 

“No, you are just a psychopath.” Hyejoo shook her head. 

“Jisu and Yuna like it too! Are you calling them a psycho as well?” 

“No, just you.” 

Yeojin dropped her chin. “You bully!” 

“E-Everyone, let’s not fight,” Chaeryeong said, her voice quivering. 

“Oh, they’re not fighting. This is our everyday, don’t worry.” Yuna waved her hand. 

Chaeryeong sulked, her face becoming redder. Ryujin tried her best not to laugh, but as she observed Yeji patting her head and whispering something near her ear, she had to contain a squeal instead. 

“Guess we don’t even have to do anything,” Ryujin told Jisu, blocking her mouth with her hand. 

Jisu nodded, her lips containing a smirk. 

“Oh, our food is here!” Hyunjin clapped. “No more fights about pineapple, or I’ll make the ones that don’t like it eat it.” 

Yuna’s eyes twinkled as the pizzas appeared, and from that moment, everyone focused on the food. Nothing made Ryujin happier than seeing those big, happy smiles in the faces of those she loved the most. 

She kept glancing at Yeji and Chaeryeong through the corner of her eyes. They were still talking, about dance now, Ryujin thought. She had known Chaeryeong for a couple years now, as they met in the first year of high school, so she knew how shy she could be. She didn’t know much about Yeji yet, but they made a really cute couple, so she hoped it was mutual and that they would talk it out eventually. 

The night had fallen completely as they left the restaurant with their bellies full and satisfied. Ryujin stretched her arms up, taking in a deep, long breath of fresh air, and stared at the moon up ahead. 

“Who’s going home? My mom’s gonna pick me up at the station,” Yeojin said. 

“Let’s call it a day. You should rest a lot!” Jisu messed up her hair. 

“Thanks again for the food.” Hyejoo bowed at them. “I’m going with you, dwarf.” 

“Who said I would take you home?” 

“You’re not, your mom is.” Hyejoo rested her elbow on top of Yeojin’s head. 

“And me and Yerim as well,” Chaewon said, with Yerim nodding. 

“Do you guys see what I deal with on a daily basis?” 

“It’s cute!” Heejin said. 

“Fight them,” said Hyunjin. 

“What, no! Hyunjin!” Heejin smacked her arm. 

“You say that, but you’re the one hitting me. As always.” 

“The expose...” Yeji shook her head. 

Heejin’s face burned red, and Hyunjin laughed, circling an arm around her neck and pulling her close to her chest. “Don’t sulk. I love you.” 

“Alright, that’s cute, but we have to go. Thank you all for coming and celebrating with us.” Yeojin bowed and waved. 

“Text me when you all get home!” Yuna said, opening her arms for a team group hug. 

They bid their goodbyes and Ryujin waved as Yeojin, Hyejoo, Chaewon and Yerim left. 

“Let’s get the bus?” Yeji asked. 

They reached the bus stop in no time, and a mere minute after, one arrived. 

“Oh, it’s our bus.” Heejin stood up. 

“I’m spending the night at her house, pray for me,” Hyunjin muttered to them. 

“I can hear you!” Heejin whined, pulling her inside the bus as they waved goodbye. 

“Hyunjin’s so funny,” Ryujin said. 

“She really is a whole comedy,” said Yeji. “She likes to pretend Heejin is annoying, but the girl is whipped.” 

Yuna crossed her arms, huffing. “Everyone’s dating, and then there’s me.” 

“I-I’m not,” Chaeryeong said. 

“Yeah, same.” Yeji threw her a glance. 

Ryujin used all her might to keep her face straight, and Yuna frowned at them. “Why do I sense somethi-” 

“Don’t worry, Yuna.” Ryujin elbowed her. “Someone will appear. Don’t rush things.” 

Another bus was approaching. 

“It’s ours, Jisu,” Yeji said, as she extended her arm. 

“I go on this one as well,” Chaeryeong said. 

“Oh, I will drop Ryujin and Yuna home. You can go on ahead.” 

Ryujin widened her eyes for a second at her. “Yeah, this girl can’t let go of me.” 

“That’s right.” Jisu beamed. 

“Well, okay. See you guys, then!” Yeji waved at them as she hopped up. 

Chaeryeong threw a wide-eyed look at Ryujin, and she mouthed her a ‘fighting!’. 

“You two are terrible.” Yuna shook her head. 

“We’re doing god’s work here. They couldn’t be more obvious, could they?” Jisu chuckled. 

“You have to keep your promise, now.” Ryujin rested her head on Jisu’s shoulder. 

“Of course. In fact, I didn’t even know Chaeryeong would get the same bus home, and I already intended on going with you.” 

“And here I am, left being a third wheel.” Yuna sighed. 

“Don't say that. You have the sweet taste of victory to cheer you up,” Ryujin said. 

Yuna sighed. “So funny.” 

“I know, I know. Now, come here.” Ryujin patted her own shoulder, and Yuna leaned on her. 

They let the silence take over while they waited for their bus, which didn’t take much longer to arrive, and in an instant, they were reaching the sisters’ house. 

“Since you came all the way here, stay,” Ryujin blurted as she turned to Jisu. 

“What?” 

“Stay the night. Tomorrow’s Saturday, you don’t have classes.” 

Jisu smiled. “Is it okay for me to stay?” 

“You don’t have your clothes, but I can lend you mine. It’s not the first time that it happens, anyway.” 

“What are you waiting for?” Yuna yelled by the front door. 

“Sounds great.” Jisu grabbed Ryujin’s hand and led the way. “I’m staying the night, Yuna.” 

“Oh.” Yuna smirked at Ryujin, who shot invisible laser beams through her eyes as she walked past her. “Let’s watch a movie!” 

“Aren’t you tired?” Ryujin asked. 

“Kinda, but I think it would be nice to watch a movie the three of us.” 

“Weren’t you complaining about being a third wheel just now?” Ryujin chuckled. 

“I have Byulie and Dallie with me now, it’s different.” 

“What if we do that tomorrow? Ryujin must be tired as well. And I mean, if you want me around, of course,” Jisu said. 

“Okay, I accept that.” 

“Now, go have your deserved rest. I’ll feed the cats.” Ryujin kissed Yuna’s cheek. 

“Good night.” Yuna approached Ryujin’s ear and whispered. “And have fun with Jisu.” 

Ryujin narrowed her eyes at her and slapped her butt as she went upstairs giggling. 

“What did she say?” Jisu asked. 

“N-Nothing.” 

“Your face is red.” 

Ryujin flared her nostrils, and head to the kitchen to change the water in the cats’ bowl and put on more food. They followed her, meowing and rubbing their heads on her ankles. 

“I can imagine what she said, you don’t have to say it out loud.” 

“Then why are you asking?” Ryujin asked, refilling the food bowl. 

“Because I love to see you flustered.” 

Ryujin stood up all of a sudden and trapped Jisu against the kitchen counter. “Is it funny to see me like this?” 

“Yep, very much so.” Jisu kissed her lips, but too soon she pulled away. “Let’s go to your room?” 

Ryujin smirked, but before leading the way, she squatted again to pet and kiss her cats’ heads. “Good night, Byulie, Dallie.” 

They paid little attention to her, because the food was more important at that moment. Ryujin grabbed Jisu’s hand and went upstairs, straight to her room. She pulled her inside and closed the door, and she barely had time to turn. Jisu was already too close, pushing her against the door. 

“Ouch,” Ryujin winced, the impact hurting on her body. 

“Awn, sorry. You must be aching all over, having community service and then having to rush to Yuna’s game.” 

“And I worked in the morning.” Ryujin pouted. 

“Poor Ryujinie.” Jisu rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “How was it?” 

“Work was fine. The convenience store is normally calm in the morning. But community service... they know how strong I am, so they sent me to construction today.” 

“What?” Jisu dropped her chin. “Seriously? Isn’t that too much?” 

“It’s fine, I can do it. I really won’t complain about anything. One month is almost over already, just two more months and I’m done with it.” 

Jisu didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. Ryujin giggled, and pulled her to her bed, where she laid down and opened her arms, waiting for Jisu to lay with her head on her shoulder. 

“You don’t have to worry about me, I’m fine. I’m strong.” 

“I know you are, but I don’t want you to get hurt. Not again.” 

“I won’t. I promise.” 

Jisu looked up at her, pecked her lips, and straightened herself. “Take off your jacket.” 

Ryujin irked an eyebrow. “In a hurry, are we?” But she still complied, sitting up and taking it off. 

Jisu didn’t answer, and instead, held her left arm, and turned it up. Both stared at it, at the scar that marked her left forearm. 

“Does it still hurt?” Jisu asked, her voice small and low. 

“No.” 

Jisu took her arm to her lips, kissing her skin so gently it almost tickled. Then, Jisu stared at her face, at her lips, and approached to kiss them, just as tender. 

“Jisu,” Ryujin called in a whisper. “I’m fine. I’m happy, and believe me that it had been a while since I genuinely felt like this. I didn’t go to jail, and three months of community service is really the best of the best I could ask for. I was able to get a proper, honest job, and I get to be with you, whenever I want, and the way we want. I didn’t get separated from Yuna and the sharks are gone, both thanks to you. What’s there more to ask?” 

“You’re too kind.” 

“Me? This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t help me so much. I still don’t know how can I repay-” 

“You don’t have to, I told you already. Repay me with promising me that you’ll always be safe.” 

Ryujin smiled. “I promise.” 

“Thank you, Ryujinie.” 

“How’s Junsu?” 

“He’s okay, focusing on his studies. My parents are visiting soon. I want you to meet them.” 

“Oh. Hm... I-Is that okay?” 

“Of course. They want to meet you.” 

Ryujin avoided her eyes. 

“What is it?” 

“Don’t they... hate me or something?” 

Jisu sighed and grabbed her hand. “They don’t. They’re grateful for your help. Because of you, nothing happened to Junsu, and you know that. Yes, they were disappointed and mad at him about the street races, but he learned his lesson. He’s still pretty sad about having his license suspended, and he paid the fine from his own pocket. I know he won’t do it again.” 

Ryujin raised her head and met her stare. “I want to meet them as well.” 

Jisu beamed and approached to kiss her lips again. This time for longer, just as Ryujin wanted. It heated faster than she anticipated, as Jisu’s hands already creeped under her t-shirt. She pulled away and allowed her to take it off, but instead of getting back to kissing, Ryujin laid back again with her hands behind her head. 

“You’re beautiful, and you’re doing it on purpose.” Jisu stared at her, her tongue running across her lips. 

Ryujin couldn’t help but smile. “What am I doing?” 

“Showing off those arms of yours.” 

“I’m literally not doing anything.” 

Jisu took off her own shirt off and before she could lay down on top of her, Ryujin raised her arms above her head and flexed them, making her muscles pop out. 

“You are beautiful, Jisu. And _now_ I am doing it on purpose.” Ryujin smirked. 

Jisu bit on her lip and crawled on top of her, trailing kissed from her chest to her lips. “What am I supposed to do with you, Ryujinie?” 

“You tell me.” 

“Can I show it instead?” 

“Even better.” 

Ryujin sucked in a breath as Jisu kissed her neck, and a hand tangled on her hair when teeth nibbled on her earlobe. 

“I love you,” Jisu whispered, sending chills down Ryujin’s back. 

“I love you too, Jisu.” 

“I know you’re tired, but bear with me, will you?” 

“I’m never tired of you.” Ryujin smirked before closing her eyes and letting Jisu kiss her again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just shamelessly throw Chaerji in there? Yes, yes I did :))) (and 2jin of course, is there a story of mine that 2jin isn't there? keke)
> 
> It's over already omg :'cc
> 
> I hope everyone loved this story as much as I loved writing it! It wasn't the easiest to write, everytime I decide to write a more serious story, I always almost end up regretting it, because it gets hard at some points, but I think it was worth it! I managed to get everything explained in the end, and everything ended up well for everyone! :D
> 
> As always, I want to thank my girlfriend, cough, editor, for all the help with this story, and for editing it, and thank you everyone who read the story! ♥️ 
> 
> My 2jin vampire au is on the makings, I can't really promise when it's gonna be done, because I don't even know how long it will be lmao, but until then, I'll be posting some one shots!
> 
> Thank you again everyone and until my next story ♥️ 


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